Our Past Mistakes
by Mable
Summary: Nine cannot move on after the Machine's defeat and the loss of the others, but after a freak accident he somehow manages to fall back in time to before the Machine went rogue, when the humans were alive. Yet he is not alone and must attempt to stay alive in the foreign world. Will he change time, for the better or worse, or will he find something different to live for?
1. Chapter 1

**Mable: Hey there! Another story that I've planned and finally posted! Though I would like to note that this chapter has… Moments of being rushed. I lost the entire chapter, then got it back incomplete in parts, and just had to finish a bit of editing on it right now. The next couple of chapters are much better quality so I'm just going to rely on those for the moment. Ah, but I'm rambling. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter One_

It was hard to believe that they were completely gone. It was even harder to believe that it was completely over.

As the remaining four Stitchpunks trudged into the Library once again there was a heavy sadness hanging over them. For a short while there had been comradery among the four as the final survivors, but that had deteriorated the second that they had realized that the others weren't coming back. They were gone for good, had completely vanished, and had disappeared into whatever was beyond the sky. Entering the Library again was a solemn event. Neither the twins nor the two older Stitchpunks felt much relief from entering what was to now be their home.

Of course the twins had been living there before the entire Machine Incident so it was nice to go home, but nothing would make them feel pleased after they lost their five companions. Nine couldn't even stand thinking about them anymore. They were gone with the rain and there was nothing they could do to stop them. The twins looked weary and Seven exhaled quietly before finally breaking the silence, "I'm… I'm going to take the twins to bed. They've had a long day." There was something Nine and Seven weren't saying to each other that was clearly there; she wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, he wanted to apologize for ruining everything they had.

It was clear that he was beginning to fully take in the consequences of his actions. He was starting to blame himself and he was starting to regret his actions. As Seven started to wander away with the younger Stitchpunks, Nine responded, "I'm… I'm going to take a little walk." The Warrior looked back in alarm. There was some sort of suspicion in her optics as she started, "Nine…" He interrupted before she could continue, "Just a walk. I need to clear my head for a bit." She seemed to trust him well enough and knew that he was having a hard time so she let him be.

"Just be careful. The Machines have survived without a Leader before; they could still be out there." He took the warning to heart and nodded in agreement before turning to wander out of the Library. She watched him leave with sympathy. He knew that she didn't feel the same blame as he did, the same horrific guilt that came with surviving, and hoped that the twins didn't feel it either. Nobody else deserved this except for him.

However, to be fair, if he was to really go deep into his thoughts there was always the throbbing hope that they would come back, that something would change and they would return, but this didn't seem like it was in sight in the near future. Perhaps being out in the rain made Nine feel closer to who he had lost. His friends, his replacement parents, his companions, they were gone. He shook his head, "You have to get it together, Nine." He scolded himself out loud, trying to ease the silence around him.

"You have to be strong now. It's just you and the others. Seven can't watch the twins alone, she shouldn't get stuck watching them alone, I have to be here for them like they were for me." 'They' meant the ones he had lost and his talk to himself with a mimic of something that he would plan to hear from one of the others. He needed to stay strong. Yet as he wandered alone in the Emptiness he felt helpless; he had tried to be strong for so long and now when he had to be he didn't think he could anymore.

"I don't understand." He suddenly blurted out as his pace quickened to a brisk one, "This isn't right, I did everything I was supposed to. What was the point of stopping the Machine if it meant the lives of the ones I loved?! To save the world? For who? I know I can't live in a world like this! I can't live like this!" His voice was becoming frantic as he called out to the empty buildings desperately, "You weren't supposed to leave me! You were supposed to come back, you were supposed to stay, not sacrifice yourself for nothing!"

There was no response and he couldn't stand the silence. Suddenly he broke into a run, having to do something to exert his frustration. At first aimlessly along the streets but soon in a relatively set direction; the Scientist's Workshop. Perhaps there he would be able to find some sort of answers for what to do next. After all, Six had sent him back there before, maybe there was more that his creator had left behind. Anything was worth a try and every chance of finding another solution was good enough for Nine.

He was at his wit's end and part of him was already thinking horrible thoughts. "Was I supposed to be the one who died?" He questioned himself wearily. "Maybe… Maybe that's it. I was supposed to die and when I didn't the others did instead… They all were sacrificed because I lived." He felt a dull pain in his chest and a soft choking noise exited his voice box. He suppressed it and continued onward through the Emptiness, feeling more cold and alone than he had ever felt before. This was an absolute nightmare.

He was in sight of the stairway to the Workshop when something went off of plan in a way that Nine hadn't anticipated. It was a dull groan that sounded suspiciously like a Beast that scared Nine into immediate terror. It was low, almost as though it didn't even exist and was merely in his mind, but this changed as soon as he started to hear the thumping sounds like footsteps. It was a Beast that was somewhere nearby and the Stitchpunk immediately went into defense. Or perhaps the adrenaline from earlier simply made him much too paranoid.

He couldn't very well run across the open street, past the sound of the movement, to get to the building. As it was getting closer Nine reacted immediately and turned on his heel. He had no weapons and he had to get away. Unfortunately, he could hear the noises still from behind, and his panicked mind began to interpret it as being closer than expected. His mind was still askew and frightened from everything that had happened and as he ran blindly through the wreckage between a few buildings he couldn't think rationally.

In fact, he wasn't thinking at all, his mind flipped to a 'fight or flight' perspective and overtook any plan of attacking a Beast. Even as the Beast's noises started to lessen the rising of his pulse in his audio receptors spurred him on. He made it to another street and dashed across to the other side. That was when it happened, so quickly that Nine had no time to even brace himself. The other side of the street was a ditch that Nine unfortunately went into, his feet stopping only to slide across the oil slickened street that had tasted a leaking Beast more recently than the rain.

He tumbled down the ditch in an awkward fashion. Usually, this would have done nothing but left him dirt, scolding himself at his clumsiness, but fate had other plans. Such as the rock position in just the right position to crack his head upon. At that moment his body seemed to go limp as his head was enveloped with a hot pain.

He only had a second to think that something was wrong before his vision died completely.

He was unconscious for some while and only realized it once he awoke to rainfall on his face. It had started coming down once again and even harder than before. He flinched a bit before slowly beginning to sit up, only being able to groan as his head protested the action. He groaned as he rubbed his forehead, "How long was I out?" he looked around the muddy ditch through blurry optics and began to seek out the rock that he had struck his head on. Yet it was nowhere to be found and he assumed that mud had washed over it and this was why it had disappeared from view.

Either way he slowly began to stand with shaky steps and stared around at his environment wearily with unfocused optics. Yet as he did he noticed a weird noise nearby, like a rushing noise, and climbed towards the top of the ditch to see what it was. At first he saw nothing that seemed to be the culprit, but after a short while he did notice something very odd that he hadn't as he was running through the streets in a panic. _"How did I not notice this earlier? It's… It's perfect back here. None of the houses are destroyed around here…" _Nine thought to himself.

Then he added in a weary thought of, _"I guess that the buildings didn't matter unless there was something inside worth getting to." _He looked down at his mess of a body, muddy and cold, and reminded himself, "I need to get home." He spoke this sentence out loud and followed it with a quick shiver. His thoughts were interrupted when something suddenly turned onto the street and headed down it, something that took Nine aback and confused him greatly. It was a car; one of the transportation vehicles left behind by humans.

It was somehow in working condition and unlike all of the destroyed ones was driving down the rainy street still in use and fine condition. From what he saw of the cars they looked too destroyed to move and even if they could he doubted that any Stitchpunk or Beast could control them. But there it was, and from the sounds in the distance that mimicked the rubbing of the tires on the rain, the rush that he had thought was simply from the rain, it sounded like there were more cars driving around the area.

The car came to a halt on the other side of the street and Nine dropped to his knees to duck down and somewhat hide from view. Then Nine was taken aback yet again, _"What?!" _The vehicle's door opened and out stepped a human woman. She was taller than Nine had ever expected and shielded her head with an odd covering attached to a pole that she opened like a Seamstress' collar. Her footsteps were quick as she circled the car, but she didn't look afraid, she just looked to be in a hurry. She fondled the doorknob for a few seconds before disappearing inside and soon after the vehicle drove off yet again.

This left Nine in the silence and rain. He sat down completely in the ditch in aghast. "Humans?!" He whispered to himself in alarm, "This- This can't- they're all dead!" Yet he managed to somehow calm himself down slightly. _"How is there a human here? This… This can't be real… Maybe I'm just still unconscious in the ditch, or this is some sort of hallucination. That makes sense, right?" _ Even though he felt like he was calming down his mind was racing and his body was still jittery. He knew what he had just seen and it was a living, breathing human being.

Before now, if Nine thought of finding a living human, Nine would have probably been interested or excited, but actually seeing one with his own optics also brought a feeling of terror. Mostly because the situation around him was all changed. He was perspective enough to add exactly what the situation appeared to be, "_It's… It's like this area hasn't been touched. Like the war never happened here, but that can't be possible… It's almost as though the Machine's weren't even created yet!" _

He then huffed, _"No, Nine, you hit your head and are dreaming. That's what happened. This isn't real." _Then everything took a different approach and Nine suddenly lightened incredibly. _"If that's the case then I'm not in any real danger. Well, except maybe a severe head injury, but I've dealt with worse."_ For a few minutes he thought he would just wait it out so he sat there pitifully and waited for the hallucination to pass or for him to wake, but neither occurred. Eventually Nine started to get nudged by his own curiosity and stood before peeking out of the ditch once again.

The alley was empty so it wasn't like there was anyone to see him anyway. He hesitantly went over his options, _"I can wait here, but I don't know when it's going to end… I could go to the Scientist's Workshop. Maybe there's humans there too?... What if he's somehow alive?" _But he shook this away quickly, "_I can't lose my head with this." _The answer abruptly came and he immediately knew what he needed to do. _"I need to get back to the Library and see if Seven and the twins are there." _

With that in mind he started to walk down the edge of the street in the direction of the Library, keeping his optics looking for if anything was nearby and able to see him. Even once he passed out of the alley he realized that the city was a much different place. All of the buildings were whole once again and all of the destruction ceased to exist. If he was hallucinating then he had to be seeing the scientist's view, because he knew he couldn't have made this up in his mind.

He counted every glowing with and tried to look past the curtains and into the lit room. It nearly screamed of warmth that Nine's body was in need of. He was beginning to shiver pitifully and his mind refused rest. The thoughts were pressing Nine in ways that he didn't like and he slowly continued along through the streets. He only stopped when he heard another car coming around the corner and jumped into the ally to avoid being in the sight of the car. It was then that he noticed the paper he was standing on and looked downwards at the poster. It was in bright red and gold colors and depicted the face of an older human male.

The words were designed strange, but Nine could read them when he focused, "Victory demands sacrifice." Then he read beneath the picture, "Pay the price for freedom." His optics locked onto the small design beside the words and realized that it was the same that was presented on the flags and posters around the Emptiness. "So… So the Machine is alive, somewhere, but the war hasn't began yet." Then he blinked in realization as he looked at the person once again. "And that's the Chancellor." He felt a pang of anger towards the picture of the human now that he remembered him.

He knew what he had done to his Creator and his part in giving the Machine the means to war. Maybe it was because in this realm the humans were alive, but Nine was actually able to feel that anger towards this being, though it wasn't much. He controlled it with the thought of knowing what eventually would happen to them which managed to elicit sympathy once again. It didn't last long as he was interrupted by the sound of something nearby and looked upwards only to gasp. There stood a creature that was walking straight towards him.

It was about the size of a Cat Beast and covered in dark grey hair that was designed with a few white blotches. All Nine had to do was look at the contours of its face and he knew that this was the creature was what the Cat Beast received its name from. It was a cat, a living and breathing cat, and now it was coming straight for him. Around its neck was a thin stretch of fabric with a little bell attached that chimed as it bounded towards him. Nine gasped a bit before turning back to dash down the alley once again. Upon arriving at the street he continued the way that he believed was towards the Library, trying to escape the cat.

However, it was quick, and it paw came down upon him. Thankfully the claws were much thinner than a Cat Beast's and it seemed more to want and trap him then actually kill him. It pinned him to the ground and stared at him. Nine was hyperventilating as it watched him, tail flicking back and forth behind it as it lay down on the ground, both paws coming to grapple him. It was almost like it was playing with him and he didn't know whether to go along with it or to fight back. Before he could make a decision, luck was on his side.

It was some sort of shrill noise that caught both his and the Cat's attention, but the Cat more so. It cocked its head around so that it could stare back towards the ally. The noise rang out again, but this time was interrupted by a voice of a human suddenly calling out from further off. They were from two separate sources, but the latter of which caught the cat's attention. With the call of 'Muffy' and 'here kitty' the Cat left Nine and went to go off down the alley again. Nine simply laid there until it left, not wanting to draw it back.

It was obviously trained which was why it responded to the call, but it didn't explain what made that shrill noise before. Either way the Stitchpunk was more than aware that he was visible beside the road and began to hurry to his feet before continuing towards the Library. He knew that he was still in danger, maybe even more so, and he continued along. He somehow found the wall that surrounded the city like a barrier, fully intact and, as such, blocked any way to the factory. Not that he wanted to go to the factory, but part of him was curious about what it would look like outside.

Unfortunately for Nine, he also started to notice a pattern that occurred whenever he walked and looked straight ahead. The dull sound of movement from nearby would always ring out no matter whether or not he was alone. As such he attempted to hurry his pace and soon found himself dashing into the allies once again for shelter. It was there that he caught a beacon of hope through the rainy sky. He could see the Cathedral's tower and while he knew there weren't any Stitchpunks there it showed where his bearings were.

He continued along dodging cars and the occasional human wandering around and eventually arrived at the outskirts of the Library. As the Cathedral was presently housing a group of humans that he could see through left open doors he bypassed it and continued towards the Library. He was growing cold and tired so he fixed himself upon searching for anything useful on the way. Being as though there were not yet things destroyed and abandoned everywhere he didn't find much.

While he was fussing over another poster that was somewhat dry, though looked to have been drawn on as the Chancellor's eyes were blacked out and words were written on it, he stopped at the sound of scuffling and peered behind him only to freeze solid. What he saw was not what he expected at all. There, across the street, stood a figure about Nine's height, clothed in a thick hood, but with a malformed head. Nine could barely see much except black metal over the shoulder and a red optic staring into his soul.

It was as though time had stopped for a second and so much confusion overwhelmed him. _"What… This can't…_" It stepped closer in a smooth moment and suddenly Nine's body reacted. The Beasts were alive, they were present, and here was one hunting him down. He sprinted through the metal gates and through the courtyard towards the front of the Library. The courtyard was much different that he remembered from his time. The statues were all intact and lined the walkway while bushes and flowers surrounded them.

Large trees full of thick leaves stood tall but didn't stretch far enough to block the rain. Yet it seemed so quiet, so silent, as though even the cars had stopped upon Nine seeing the thing behind him. He didn't want to look back because something about this entire thing didn't seem right. That thing was too close to his own height, it resembled a Stitchpunk too much, and he didn't see a Seamstress tail connected to its underside. He desperately climbed the wet stairs and reveled in the slight covering that blocked the rain, but unfortunately his luck ran out here.

The front doors were sealed shut and he stared at them with a racing mind. "There's got to be a way in." He murmured to himself before looking back to scan for the creature. He hoped to see nothing, but there it was, standing at the open gate and looking around for him. The red optic, and malformed head, seemed to slide around in an odd fashion and Nine guessed that maybe the distance was making it look strange. Nine stumbled over and ran before leaping into the flower bed. The bottom was thick with mud and the bushes scratched at him.

His pulse was racing as he watched through the bushes. The figure was coming closer, but he was noticing something odd about the head moving around in odd angles. Maybe it wasn't even a head at all, but it did have an eye, a dead red eye. He was interrupted by the sound of the Library door being opened. The figure retreated behind a statue and vanished while a man and woman exited the Library. They had two small children with them and Nine immediately perked; they hadn't shut the door yet. As they were exiting into the rain they were taking a short time to make sure the children, especially the younger boy who they were trying to fix a jacket on.

He slipped out of the back of the flower bed and rushed to the stairs, hiding behind the column briefly before taking towards the door. When he dove through into the Library he felt little relief as he scrambled to find a hiding spot. With the rubble missing the Library was a lot more open, alit by warm lights that changed the normally blue tinted library to a warm orange. Nobody was in the near vicinity to he rushed to one of the now standing book shelves and slipped inside an opening at the bottom. He dropped against the packed in books on the other side of the shelf.

After a few minutes the door was shut and looking out he couldn't see the creature nearby. He was relieved immediately that he was safe, but now he knew he had to collect his thoughts. _"That might just be a Machine of some kind… I've got bigger things to worry about. If humans see me, if the Scientist sees me, I could ruin the future…" _He rested back against the book behind him, enjoying the familiarity of the cover. Even if everything else was different the books still remained the same. Even if it was less destroyed, the books weren't on the floor, and a warm glow passed through the room.

"_I could always stop the Machine from starting the War… But then I, and the others, might not be created. I need to consider the humans as good as gone, because I can't… I can't sacrifice our lives for them." _While he felt selfish he was stubborn with this decision. The future had to go on as planned which meant that he couldn't be seen by any outside parties. The Machines wouldn't exactly count he assumed and he just let himself relax. "So what am I going to do?" He asked himself quietly and received no answer.

His body slowly began to shut down in exhaustion and even though he had fallen unconscious to get here he still felt like he had never rested at all. His head slumped back against the book and his optics fluttered shut tiredly. The world went quiet as he fell into a deep sleep.

His rest was interrupted an unknown amount of time later when he awoke to the sound of footsteps. The humans' shoes made a clicking noise on the marble floor as a tall female crossed by the bookshelf. He roused himself enough to pull back as far as he could into the lines of books and watched as she adjusted the shelves with books resting on some sort of cart. While his pulse began to speed when she kneeled and pressed a book in right beside him, he only dodged by moving over and she wasn't really looking into the shelf while she set the books back.

Soon the woman moved on and as Nine peered out to watch her he wondered if she was some sort of Librarian. Either way, the Library was empty, and his optics went to the high windows to try and judge what time it was. Because it was overcast he knew it was hard to judge, but it looked about evening time. He stretched a bit tiredly before rubbing the back of his neck. "_I need to get some more rest while I can, and maybe I'll wake back at home." _He doubted it but couldn't deny how tired he was still as he leaned back against a book.

He stared forward blankly before slowly allowing himself to fall asleep once again. Hoping that he would awaken to something, anything better.

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><p><strong>Mable: Hello!... So, umm, I'm going to do something different today. Usually reviews don't matter to me, but maybe if you have something nice to say you could send a short review? I guess I'm a little discouraged or overworked, but I'd sort of like to hear some, if any, feedback this time. Anyway, next chapter will be posted soon, thanks for reading!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Mable: Here I am with chapter two! I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their kind words. ^-^ I don't know why I was so gloomy, but I feel a lot better now! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Two_

Nine's rest was interrupted an unknown amount of time later when he awoke to the sound of footsteps. The human's shoes made a clicking noise on the marble floor as a tall female crossed by the bookshelf. He roused himself enough to pull back as far as he could into the lines of books and watched as she adjusted the shelves with books resting on some sort of cart. While his pulse began to speed when she kneeled and pressed a book in right beside him, he only dodged by moving over and she wasn't really looking into the shelf while she set the books back.

Soon the woman moved on and as Nine peered out to watch her he wondered if she was some sort of Librarian. Either way, the Library was empty now, and his optics went to the high windows to try and judge what time it was. Because it was overcast he knew it was hard to tell but it looked about evening time. He stretched a bit tiredly before rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright," He spoke to himself to ease the tension, quiet enough that the woman couldn't hear, "I'll just have to find someplace safe until I find a way back to the present."

Yet all of this was simple enough to say but not nearly enough to do. He still couldn't even fathom what he was doing in this time let alone try to figure out how to get back. At this moment he could hear the librarian moving back through the area and passing by the shelves towards the exit of the building. Nine didn't think anything of it until suddenly the light in the Library died. It wasn't pitch dark as he realized after his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The front door opened and shut before a chiming noise came from it, like metal, followed by the door locking.

Now Nine was alone and was technically safe for the time being which was relieving. He stood after a few minutes and stretched his arms and back, "Alright. Maybe I can make some sense of all this." He climbed onto one of the desks and turned on a small lamp, which was remarkably easy because of the constant flow of electricity, then started looking for newspapers. That seemed like the easiest option and thankfully there was one folded on the desk that he unfolded and looked through the headlines.

"Rebels attack science facility." Nine read out loud, blinking to himself, "Rebels? There were already people against the Machine?" He read further into the column and realized quickly that these weren't any rebels to be proud of. They, and the soldiers, were mentioned to be violently attacking one another. Nine read further, "As each side grows more aggressive we can only hope that the progress will not be stunted." He read out loud before looking at another column, "New weapons being released to combat threats."

This proved that the war was still present, just hadn't yet spread to the Machines attacking. In fact, there was only one column amount the Fabrication Machine and all it did was describe a brief interview with a Scientist about the Machine. Nine noticed quickly that it claimed the interview was taken before the Machine was moved into the factory. "It was before they took it from the Scientist, but now they have, so… Julius Bergeron, is that…?"

A sudden noise from the distant side of the Library caused Nine's head to shoot upwards. Paranoia set in as he scanned the shelves. Even though the Beasts weren't yet aggressive to humans didn't mean that they wouldn't yet attack him. Perhaps one was patrolling around the Library looking for him, perhaps the one from before. He continued to search until he was certain nothing was there. Then he looked back to the newspaper, "Maybe I should just find the Scientist… I can survive alone, but how long?"

The second noise was a clear indication that someone else was there. Especially when the noise was a tapping of metal on the marble floor. His pulse quickened and he looked for a hiding place. Soon he decided that the logical place would be under the desk. He quietly crept over to the edge and climbed down using the drawers' nooks as places for his hands and feet, knowing that turning off the light could draw more attention to him than it actually staying on. The desk was close to the ground and he had to crawl underneath it.

As he belly crawled across the floor he listened closely to the sound of tapping. It circled the desk and if he looked carefully he could see the occasional flash of red. Then a new noise alerted as well. It sounded eerily like footsteps and Nine turned his body around to crawl in the other direction. He managed to make it halfway across, through the dust collecting on the floor, when suddenly the red eye appeared. Right before him, branded with the color of the Machine, on the other side of the desk, and it started to come forward.

Now he could see little legs under the body that scampered it along and the rest of its body was missing. Perhaps it was detachable. Even with this finding Nine found a new fear and as is rushed him he crawled backwards. Quickly, as fast as he could. The second he was out from under the desk he stood and jumped back, only to slam into something else before stumbling to the marble floor. His body went into sudden reflex mode as he stood and ran towards the back of the Library. His mind raced in desperation.

"_The Machine is still alive in this time… If it gets ahold of me I- There's no telling what it will do. Even if it doesn't have the Talisman. What if it uses me to find out about the future? To hurt the others?!" _Nine's body was frantic and he stumbled over his own feet as the walls seemed to close in. The Library was foreign for him; even in the future he didn't know the complete layout exactly. It was as though he felt that same fear as when he was ambushed by the Cat Beast with Two, except now he was completely alone in the manner.

He came upon the pool quicker than expected, now a lovely fountain that was completely cleaned and organized. It was quite a sight to behold, but Nine barely noticed as he ran along around the edge of it, looking for an escape route. He stopped long enough the get his bearings only to realize that the footsteps were coming after him. Quicker, following, and he looked back to see the red eye in the distance. Both parts of the body were together again, or perhaps two beings coming at him, either one Nine not exactly wanting to face on his own.

He looked around before heading further into the back of the Library, past the shelves and statues, ducking behind a potted plant and waiting for it to come after him. It wasn't long until he could hear its steps as it circled the area, obsessively seeking him out, and he tried to quiet his panting. He knew he couldn't go on like this; his body was beginning to let him down from the constant stress and he would have to get away quickly. _"I have to get to the Scientist. He's the only one who can help me."_

As the noises crept in he suddenly paid more attention to the shelves above. It came to his attention that the books were stacked so well that a gentle nudge could send them off of the shelf and falling to the floor, making them relatively good projectiles. This was the best idea he had and climbed upon the lowest shelves' books and onto the second shelf, then to the third, and then waited. He positioned himself by a bookend and stared down at the isle below, waiting for something to pass by.

As expected, something eventually did, and that something was the creatures in question. They were definitely separate beings and if Nine looked closely the one almost looked Stitchpunk sized, but was wearing some sort of cloak. The way it was following the small machine was as though it was leading it, so Nine wasn't sure what the symbiosis he was watching was, but decided to still strike. After all, they were clearly hunting him, and nothing friendly would stalk him silently. He waited until they were under him then pressed his back to the other side of the book, shoving it off.

Unfortunately the two moved in separate directions and the book fell between them. The Stitchpunk like one looked upwards and Nine realized he was caught. Out of reflex he moved back to push off another book that again plummeted, above the small Beast that was moving down the aisle at a quick pace. Every time Nine shoved a book it would nearly hit the small Beast, but would miss at the last second, and Nine began trying one after another. The small one was toying with him; it went in circles, it moved out of the way, but it still stayed in the isle and taunted him, making squeaking noises as it did.

Nine's attack was cut short when suddenly the other creature climbed onto the shelf beside him and started running towards him. Nine turned to run down the shelves, planning to climb back down and get out of the area as quickly as possible. At the end of the shelf he shoved one last book that plummeted to the floor before turning around to climb down on the book below. Unfortunately he wasn't quick enough. The other being grabbed ahold of him and tried to drag him back onto the third shelf as Nine pulled back and attempt to climb down further.

His foot caught the book on the second shelf and pulled it back enough that he could stand on it. He attempted to rip his arm back from the vice grip, becoming more desperate, until the point that he actually felt gravity betray him as the book slid out. It happened so quickly that Nine almost wished the other's grip had been tighter as he suddenly plummeted to the floor. He hit the marble roughly, not even landing on either of the books, and immediately pain shot through his leg and hip.

It was so striking that for a second he couldn't even move. He even wondered if he would be able to stand. Eventually he was able to roll over and climb to his feet, even if his leg was hurting badly. The red eyed Beast was staring at him but didn't approach, and because of this Nine took the time to limp down the aisle once again, trying to escape before the other got the idea to chase. By time he was nearing the pool he heard the footsteps again and looked back to see the taller creature running behind him.

Now that he got a good look it looked a lot like a Stitchpunk from what little he could see of it, but he knew better as One wasn't created yet and it was running around with a Beast. Though his clouded mind was instead going to other things, _"I'm not going to be able to outrun it. There's got to be something… The pool!" _His mind focused on the incoming fountain. The ledge that he could see into it, _"I doubt machines do well in water…" _He limped closer before realizing how foolish his idea was.

He looked back to see it almost upon him and decided to take the risk. He jumped, plummeting through the air once again, but instead of hitting the hard ground he plunged into the water. It was colder than expected and he sunk towards the bottom. Kicking his good leg and arm he was somewhat able to keep himself partially afloat. Yet even though he knew he couldn't be injured by the water, he just had a feeling after being soaked in the rain, he suddenly realized that he couldn't keep himself up long enough to get in a breath of air.

He tried to keep himself from panicking as he got another gasp of air. He wasn't sure what parts inside of him made him breathe, but whatever they were they weren't getting any oxygen at all. He struggled to get to the edge, tasting the cold water in his mouth as it sunk through his fabric and touched his interior metals. His leg was pulsing in pain. Finally Nine's copper hands grabbed at the edge of the pool and he struggled to drag himself upwards out of the pool. His body just felt sluggish and it took a few seconds before something grabbed at him.

It felt like a hand that helped hoist him onto the marble, but the rush was just too much. He collapsed to the ground, staring into nothing as his vision slowly closed in until it disappeared altogether. Surprisingly there was a few last seconds of consciousness when all he could feel was his slow pulse throbbing before he blacked out entirely.

At one point Nine did awaken only to register that he was cold and soaking wet, and being carried through the streets of Luxembourg. Streetlights glowed through the steady rainfall and panic spread through as he wondered if he was being taken to the Machine. Everything ached and his world went dark again.

He wasn't exactly sure of what he was seeing other than the fact that it clearly felt and looked real. Not some sort of machine copy, it was a real doll, a real fabric covered being. Stumbling upon the Library was a lucky if not obvious break and part of him thought that he was lucky to come when he did. It was absolutely nonsensical; it put itself into danger under little provocation. As he took it into the Workshop in the attic he knew it needed to be looked over. It hadn't been walking right and even in its unconscious state it was shivering.

He crossed to the back of the workshop and pried open a drawer filled with various fabrics before laying it down inside, using some softer cotton to dampen its burlap to dry it. It moved a little, weakly, and as the nearby Beast stared down on it he felt the need to check the leg. It was dislocated slightly and he had to force it back in, somewhat glad that the other was still unconscious. It popped into place and his hand felt over the hip to make sure it was fixed, which it was. Then he pulled back and just stared at this.

"Where in God's name did you come from?" He murmured to himself in clear questioning before rubbing his forehead tiredly. Finally he caved, exhaled, and lifted the zippered doll before moving him somewhere more comfortable.

Nine's head was foggy and a soreness was spreading through his leg. His optics flickered open and revealed a fuzzy world that he couldn't made odds or ends of. He closed his head again to stop the incoming headache and felt around him. It felt like he was in a small bed or cot of some kind. It was warm and he was relieved that even though he was slightly damp he couldn't feel it very well. Slowly he opened his optics again and looked around. It took a few seconds before he suddenly recognized the room and perked.

It was the First Room without a doubt except fully intact. He sat up and while he was unsteady he looked around in wonder. It looked so surprising to see the First Room fully intact and as he looked around he could hear movement on the far side. Then he suddenly wondered who brought him here. "_Was it the Scientist?" _He asked himself before hearing the movement again and trying to see over, but couldn't see much past the surrounding box the bed was in. He swung his legs over, letting them rest on the floor as he massaged his aching head and leg.

He could hear footsteps and paused his actions. They were small footsteps, like a Stitchpunk's, and for a second he mulled over whether it was One who was already born or the creature from earlier. It got close and he looked upwards before finding himself stunned. The creature from before was standing right before him but with the clearly lit room, and the fabric which was now realized to be a hooded cape was pulled back. It was clear; this wasn't a machine, it was another Stitchpunk.

It stood about as tall as Nine himself stood and, strikingly enough, looked a bit too much like Nine for him to be comfortable. Of course there were differences, but it seemed to carry the same pattern as he and Five did. Its fabric was even burlap, though much lighter if not completely stark white. It was also slightly more slender, its front held closed with hooks and loops or hook and eyes. He could see why he thought its hand were claws as he glanced down. They resembled One's almost. It stared at him with a furrowed expression and Nine was sort of stuck on what to do.

After all he just realized the thing he was running to escape from was another Stitchpunk, and one he couldn't recognize for the life of him. There was only nine Stitchpunks and here was an extra. He almost felt a little meek, or maybe it was because the other was simply staring him down, and spoke, "Uh… Hello?" he asked and the other's furrowed look disintegrated, "Oh good, I thought I was going to have to translate a mute." The sarcastic and somewhat flat comment nearly took Nine aback. Mostly because he wasn't expecting it to be so forward so fast.

The voice was simple enough. It seemed young like Nine's, but wasn't as high in pitch, and carried the same tone that One's did, which Nine thought was referred to as an accent. It was definitely male though. "No, I can speak." Nine answered, giving a little embarrassed smile, "I just… I didn't expect to see anyone else." The other took a relaxed stance. "I could say the same thing." While the sarcasm loosened slightly, he still seemed suspicious, and Nine almost understood why. After all, according to both the other shouldn't exist, or at least he guessed.

"Though I could have guessed from your behavior. How is your leg?" Nine tested it and went to stand, "Sore, but I'm okay." He got to his feet and then just stood there awkwardly before reaching his hand out in a friendly manner, "Sorry about earlier. I had no idea you were another Stitchpunk." The male scrutinized his hand before taking it, but instead of shaking it he just starting to look it over, moving it around with one hand, "It's fine. Considering the fact you jumped into three feet of water I didn't expect you to be in your right mind."

Nine was slightly offended, but more noticed how the other was looking at his hand and raised a brow. The other glanced upwards and noticed, "Interesting design. I don't think I have seen one like it." He tapped his finger on the palm, "Oh, no, of course I haven't." It actually sounded like another suspicious comment, but was followed by, "But I digress. I did not mean to startle you earlier. You can never tell when humans are listening so I couldn't risk calling out to you. They seem to have eyes everywhere nowadays."

This seemed to answer some questions. "Yeah, I wasn't even thinking about that." He decided not to mention the Beast yet. The other male then asked, "Now that we're acquainted, where exactly did you come from?" He bluntly asked with slight disbelief and Nine paused. He couldn't mention the future, he had already probably changed something by being found by this other male. "I'm not really sure. I just… Appeared? It's hard to explain, like I just woke, and I couldn't remember anything beforehand."

A little bit of a lie, but not enough that he felt too bad. "I'm Nine, by the way." The other just stared in silent questioning. "Here, look." Nine explained, turning around and showing his inked on number, and now the other male looked taken aback, "You're numbered… Were there any others?" Nine shrugged and turned back to face the other male. "I just go by Nine." The other slightly shrugged as well before Nine asked, "Do you have a number? I'm guessing not." The other almost smirked a little, a small nudge of a smile.

"No. I wasn't numbered. My father calls me Child." Nine perked, "Child. Your name is Child." Though thought to himself, "_And he considers being named after a number any different?" _Then rubbed over his sore thigh tiredly, "Umm, earlier, when I hurt my leg, what was that creature with you? It looked like a machine which was sort of made me get the wrong idea." The male finally looked away and whistled. A few minutes passed and nothing happened except Nine went to sit back down, tiredly doing so. Child acknowledged him.

"It's still late and after nearly drowning yourself you may need to rest further." He whistled again, interrupting any of Nine's comebacks, and the zippered male shivered as he grew a bit cold. That was, until suddenly the Beast from earlier appeared, and he stared at it. It looked the same, like a miniature spider with a red eye. Nine watched as it scuttled over to Child's feet and started to almost scratch at him with one leg. Child just looked down at it unfazed, "This is Pet. He's one of mine so don't expect him to be any amount of a threat."

Nine watched the spider beast as it looked at him. Before it had seemed so aggressive and yet now its eye was wide with curiosity. Child kneeled down and stroked Pet's back patiently. Seeing him touch the Beast seemed to ease Nine enough that he came to kneel down, Child abruptly standing again, and Nine reached out to touch Pet. Pet reacted to the new touch positively and released a squeaking noise. "Hello there, Pet." He greeted, smiling a little, "Sorry about earlier. You don't seem so bad now."

"He's not anymore." Child explained before stating, "Pet was created using the remains of one of the machines." It was almost as though he was fishing for a compliment and luckily for him Nine was curious. "Did you create him?" Child's bit of a smile widened, "Indeed I did. He is my companion and more loyal than anything that the Machine could've created. He acts more like a living creature as well, able to feel affection." Nine noticed that Pet was pushing into his hand almost affectionately and continued to stroke.

"He certainly acts like it, but you know about the Machine?" Child seemed to become a bit disturbed, but not at Nine himself and instead at the Machine. "I am very familiar with it. You?" Nine excused quickly, "I was reading a newspaper that was talking about it… how long has it been building, been creating?" The other male looked over towards the workbench and Nine hoped that the answer would help him regain his bearings some. It was hard to imagine what year it was and he needed more of a stable point.

"Since the humans decided that there weren't enough stay bullets being thrown around? I'm not sure, but then again they never reveal everything that's going on." Nine couldn't say he was too surprised with Child's hostility towards the Machine, but it was a little confusing that it was actually before the Machine supposedly attacked, and aimed at the humans too. Nine didn't know exactly what to say and decided to instead, "Well... What are you doing here?" Child responded with, "I live here." In that same, mocking tone.

Nine corrected, "Not like that. I guess I mean, where did you come from?" Child responded with, "Here." Nine was now growing a little impatient and insisted, "Were you created by the Scientist?" He bluntly asked and the other paused before answering, "Of course I was." Nine nodded and rubbed at his thigh again tiredly. Now Child changed his tone to a lighter one, "We can discuss more in the morning. Get some more rest." He insisted and Nine agreed, a little relieved to get some most rest and feeling a little unsure as it was.

The other Stitchpunk was questioning him already and he didn't have an adequate answers at the moment. So, instead, he climbed back into the bed before looking back to the other, "I can sleep somewhere else if this is your bed." He felt the need to offer, yet Child insisted, "It's fine. I can find an easy alternative. Worry about your own health, for once." He muttered the last part under his breath and started over to the far side of the Workshop, Pet following along behind him. Nine laid back down on the pillow and stared above him at the roof high above him.

Something didn't feel right inside. His head seemed to be constantly pounding and only occasionally stopping and he actually felt as though he was not in his fabric. In a daze and trying to continue to accept that he randomly fell through time. Logically it made little sense, but there wasn't any other explanation. Yet he found it even uncanny that striking his head had led him here. Something in that thought was gnawing at his mind. _"What if I really am lying in a ditch somewhere?" _He tightened his grip around his arm, _"No, it can't be. It feels too real and I have too much control for it to be a dream."_

He then wondered if he was actually dead and that naturally brought on thoughts about the others. A sharp pain entered the center of his chest as he thought about them, gone, never to return. He knew this was an opportunity to make it right, but he didn't know how. All that he knew was that he had to adapt quickly, because he didn't have much time before he could end up back in a warzone, and facing back against the Machine.

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><p><strong>Mable: I'm hoping to get chapter three posted in three days or less, so keep an eye out and I'll try my best! I hope everyone enjoyed!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Mable: Here's chapter three! Not much to say; I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Three_

Nine awoke to sunlight. The brightness of a new day and at first remembered little until he looked at his surroundings. The workshop was alit with the bright glow coming from the nearby window and he sat upwards before starting to climb out of bed. There was a weight on his foot and upon looking down he realized that Pet had climbed on the bed the night before and looked asleep. He didn't bother the small creature and stood, his stiff joints protesting. He looked upwards to realize that the window was open and suddenly had the urge to look out at the world.

He crossed over and climbed the Workbench to the top. The first thing he noticed was that Child was already there, sitting on the window ledge and only giving him a slight glance, "You're awake. I thought you might have gone completely comatose." He retorted, to which Nine didn't exactly understand his wording. What he did understand though was that Child was sitting here doing nothing; it occurred to him that perhaps Child was waiting for him to awaken. He crossed to the window and stared out in awe at what he was seeing.

From up here he could see buildings intact and standing proudly, trees and grass, flowers, and humans walking far below or riding in vehicles that followed the winding streets. He stared at it before sitting down beside Child, "I must have been more tired than I thought." He stared out at the city with wonder while Child finally looked to him. Stared at him, more like, but Nine wasn't foreign to someone staring. Though he noticed something more curious and drew attention to it. Across a few streets were a large group of humans gathered together.

They were making some sort of ruckus as he could slightly hear them even through the busy streets. He pointed them out, "What's going on over there? Why are they all gathered?" Child looked over before flatly responding, "It's just another protest." Nine let his hand drop as he watched the group, "Are they the rebels that I read about?" Child exhaled slowly, "No. If they were they would be wielding Molotovs and actually breaking into the building. Those protesters are non-consequential and will probably be bought off by a short message from the Chancellor himself."

Nine perked at this, "The Chancellor is going to appear?" Child again shrugged it off, "It really depends. However, that group over there looks like it comprised of upper class citizens, non-threatening, so he might. Anything to get extra funding." Nine retorted quickly, "That's a pretty cynical outlook. Maybe they just are afraid something terrible is going to happen if the Machine continues to create." He knew maybe his voice was betraying a bit too much and in reaction Child responded with, "You just referred to me as cynical and followed with a comment like that?"

Nine looked downwards briefly, trying to compose himself, and then spoke again, "If there was a way that we could hear what they're saying maybe we could find out what they're planning on doing." They paused before he started to stand, "I'm going over there to listen in." Child didn't rush to stop him, but did speak against it as the newly met Stitchpunk headed back inside, "If you get caught they'll know we both exist. Father, assuming that he is your father as well, will be targeted and all three of us' lives will be ruined."

"So what do we do?" Nine asked, "What do you do, just hide here? What if… I just," He submitted, "I have a bad feeling about that Machine. Like it's going to do something terrible, and I need some answers." Child stood as well, "Then we shall get some. But before you go running through the streets there are other ways for us to get these answers." He walked straight past Nine, lightly brushing into him because he was too stubborn to move over, and headed to the far side of the workbench. He then started to fiddle with what Nine noted was a radio.

As he turned the knobs it made a static noise and protested the action. "Give me a second." Child insisted before lightly hitting the side of it, "It worked yesterday, it'll work today." A few minutes occurred of him shaking and knocking on the radio until finally low talking could be heard. The pale male leaned in and listened. "What do you hear?" Nine asked and Child fidgeted with the knobs a little more before he finally spoke, clearly annoyed, "I cannot believe this." He paused to listen further before pulling back, "This is absolutely ridiculous."

Nine felt dread rise, "What did you hear?" Child crossed his arms, "Gibberish. I couldn't make out a single word, the damn thing." He swore and turned the knob once again to quiet it down. "Forget it. It's not that far of a walk. I will be back later." Nine sputtered, "Wait, I'm coming with you." He insisted to which Child quickly responded, "My earlier point still stands." Yet Nine insisted, "I won't let them see me, I'll make sure of it." The other male looked to him with a blank look for a few seconds. Nine continued prying; eventually Child would have to give some.

Not even One had been this determined to dismiss Nine with little reason. Even though Nine couldn't figure out what he had done or said so far that would make him completely discreditable, as Child didn't know anything about the occurrences back in Nine's own time. Yet Child's optics slowly moved to lock on the wall and he pondered briefly. "I'll go out, alone, and check the situation. Then once I know that it is foolproof I will come back and get you." With that he turned and went to head out, grabbing a blade weapon by the door as he left and calling for Pet.

Soon the two were gone and Nine was left alone in an empty house. At first he wondered if he should just follow, but quickly thought against it and instead began to look around. It probably wasn't safe to leave the Workshop alone, but at least he knew that this area was safe enough. Though he did wonder where the Scientist was and why he hadn't shown his face yet. Nine wandered around the wonder of his Father's Workshop with wide optics full of interest. This was his Father's legacy, his Father's work, and he wanted to see all of it while he was here.

He was bound to suddenly return to his time whenever, he assumed, and then his trip would be over. Not that this made any sense in the slightest. There was more questions that bothered him as well but they were waved away as he started going into the drawers located around him. Some of them contained papers about Stitchpunk ideas and the Fabrication Machine blueprints. Not any that had blueprints of the others, but his mind still wandered to them.

"Has time passed at all?" He asked himself out loud, "Are Seven and the twins worried? Maybe time hasn't changed. If I went back in time then maybe I'll appear back at where I was and they'll not even notice I was gone… I guess that if I'm careful then the only difference will be what I learn now. I should make the best of it." Yet those other questions returned, "And if I can't get back…" He quietly added in with hesitance. He didn't even want to admit this. "I'll be stuck here, through the war, through their creations and deaths, until I disappear and-."

He cut off when he recognized a noise from outside. A loud banging and the quiet ruckus outside now grew a lot louder. His mind raced and he turned before running to the workbench and climbing onto it before dashing to the window. As he stared out he could see the group of humans dispersing, some on the street running, and could hear the repeated cracking. He recognized the banging, but he couldn't put a name to what it was except that it scared him. He tried to see what was going on, but couldn't see from this far away.

While he didn't know Child well he suddenly wondered if the male was in danger. He just stood there helplessly and watched before suddenly growing paranoid and dipping back inside. The humans could be looking for him or could accidently see him. He paced along the workshop in paranoia before heading to the radio and fiddling with it. He wasn't sure how long he did, but by time he managed to get the words in a bit clearer, he assumed by luck, all he could make out through frantic voices was the repetition of, "Shots fired!"

It was near this time that he heard movement and looked over the workbench to see Child and Pet entering. The small Beast was flinching at the noises and moving frantically while Child leaned against the doorframe, dropping his weapon and pushing his hood back tiredly. Nine quickly climbed down to the floor before hurrying over, "What's going on out there?!" he asked frantically and the other explained quickly, "Just as expected. Can't stand out there for five minutes without turmoil. The protest was compromised."

He noticed light noises from the radio and was in disbelief, "How did you get it working?" Nine smiled a little, mostly a nervous smile considering the situation, "I guess I just played with it a little longer." He went serious, "But the protest, there was… Those noises?" Child scoffed and pushed away from the wall, "Of course. Now the radio has acquired a resentment towards me." He adjusted his cloak around his shoulder before looking to Nine in questioning, "What noises?" Nine tried to explain, "The loud banging. It sounded like- like a-…"

"Like a gunshot?" Child offered and Nine fell silent. He knew what guns were, to an extent, but wasn't fully aware of what they sounded like. Especially when the only weapon he had been around was more like a canon than anything else. "You've never heard gunshots?" Child inquired and Nine shook his head, "No… I know what guns are, but I've never heard them before now." He looked towards the window, "but I can see why they're a sign of war; loud, terrifying, and even though I was safe in here it sounded like they were right beside me."

Child was clearly surprised at Nine's admission as he himself had heard many gunshots. It was nearly impossible to go without hearing them in this world. He felt the need to give some sort of reassurance, but it was so odd. He wasn't exactly certain how to treat an entirely different being. His hand reached out to touch Nine's back, but stopped. Something about the number on his back caught his attention, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Then he suddenly found a new solution, "Come with me." He instructed to which Nine looked back, "What?"

Child pulled his hood back over and grabbed his weapon before calling to Pet. "Pet, stay put." He commanded and headed out the door with Nine following. Nine could see the stairs, but instead of them winding down and empty shell of a building leading down into the street it was walled in with other doors, other rooms, and a warm feel that the lights casted upon the walls. He led the other male into a nearby room that was filled with boxes and old furniture covered in white sheets. On the far side of the room was another window that had a rope made of thread hanging from it.

The pale male crossed to the thick thread and started to climb it, led along by the little knots tied along it. "Did you make this?" Nine called up to him as he watched the other climb, not wanting to put too much weight on the thread. Child didn't answer until he got to the window above, managing to push it open and climbing out. Once he was out on the window edge he called down, "Once the boxes were moved I didn't have a choice." Nine raised a brow, "Don't you think he was trying to keep you away from the window then?" Child stayed silent at this and shook the thread to beckon Nine.

Nine began to climb as well, going a bit slower. He wasn't unfamiliar with heights and his hesitance was only brought on by a very odd sensation. He suddenly wondered if he himself couldn't handle it; it wouldn't be the first time he let himself down. This wave of self-doubt was infuriating and halfway up the thread he was at a near halt. Glancing upwards he saw Child and noticed a somewhat smug look. Child was actually smirking, amusingly watching Nine inch along, and there came a sense of challenge that Nine wasn't willing to deny.

He hurried the rest of the way, nearly slipping once and still forcing himself along until he got to the top. He stepped out onto the ledge as well and Child spoke, "See here." He showed the edge of the window against the roof and a small gap between the two. "It's starting to come out, but it's still secure enough. You do this; you put your hand in, make a fist, and pull yourself upwards. If you turn your feet enough they should fit in." He pulled back, "You can go first. I'll help you if you're unable."

Nine didn't see it, but he felt the smirk, and he went to climb confidently. He didn't know what made Child's urge to compete actually succeed, as Nine wasn't one to need to prove himself, but it was there. Unfortunately shortly into the climb he started to slide down. He let out a short gasp and Child caught him on the lower back with his hands, "Steady." He instructed and Nine nodded, "I… I just lost my grip." He now became very aware of how high he was off the ground and began to climb slowly once again.

This time he managed to get to the covering of the window that was much more flat. He stared out across the city in awe. While looking from the window gave a good view, this one was greater, not obscured by the walls. Though he wondered if they could be seen at this point. The afternoon sun shining down on the city was absolutely breathtaking. Yet far in the distance, obscured by the buildings and walls, he could see a plume of smoke raising into the sky. He recognized the location, "Is that the factory?" He asked himself in a mix of surprise and wonder.

To which he was answered, "It is." Child climbed onto the roof beside him and stared out at the smoke, "That is where _he _is." Nine looked at it as well before beginning to sit down. "Think they'll see us up here?" The other simply shook his head in answer as Nine went to sit down on the roof, looking out at the view. "They won't notice." Nine added in, "I guess from here they probably can't see enough to make out anything and aren't going to pay a lot of attention with what's going on."

Child agreed and went to sit beside Nine, inviting himself into doing so, but Nine was fine with it. There wasn't much he could do in this world without worrying about damaging the future, but one of the few things was interacting with Child. "So why did you bring me up here?" He asked and Child was quick to go into explanation, waiting for Nine to initiate. "You seem to be new to this- new to everything, actually. I am guessing you were created recently?" He inquired and Nine decided to agree, though it wasn't too much of a stretch.

"Not too long ago." Child actually gave a little bit of a smile that then dissipated, "It occurred to me today that it is dangerous out there for someone who doesn't know what they're doing." He paused for a few seconds before adding in, "No offense to you." Nine smiled in response, "That was the comment that would be offensive? Don't worry about it, I'm not easily offended, and I know that I must have come off bad with what happened back in the Library." That small smile returned once again to Child's face and it eased the situation further.

"That situation earlier was just a portion of what can happen, but be assured that while humans can act that irrational frequently their behavior is predictable. Rebels and Soldiers are the troubling ones while average citizens are mostly nonthreatening. Though they may as well all be deadly to our kind. Creator forbid one of us actually gets stepped on." While he was being deathly serious this triggered a little laughter from Nine which caused Child to look annoyed. The zippered male waved it off, "So you were saying?"

Child mocked, "Yes, I was saying, that while we see a violent protest here now we would see something much worse in areas such as the countryside outside the walls. It's a battlefield and humans are not the only things lurking." Nine started to grow serious at this, "So the Machines are wandering around without the humans' directive… I'm guessing that means that the area around the factory is considerably more dangerous then here." Then he exhaled, "And this is where the protest was…"

This only meant that the war was coming quick and while Nine knew what was to come having to witness it was almost unbearable. Yet he knew that he couldn't do anything to disrupt time. He owed too much to the other Stitchpunks to endanger their existences like that. He stared back out over the city wearily before a hand suddenly rested on his arm. The movement shocked him and he looked questionably to Child, who was looking in the completely other direction. He wasn't exactly sure what was happening until Child pointed something out.

"That building right there is the Library I found you in." He pointed out to the younger male in a lighter tone, pointedly trying to angle the mood back again to a lighter bit. Nine was about to say something about the Cathedral, but caught himself and instead asked, "What's that tower beside it?" Fortunately Child didn't catch anything odd in the question and answered, "That's is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Humans go there to pray." Nine looked at the tower and felt a drawing feeling, "I know it's dangerous, but can you take me there?"

Child looked confused, "To the Cathedral?" Nine made sure to cover himself properly, "I saw it when I was heading to the Library and it looks amazing, and wouldn't it be a sanctuary from the fighting?" Child looked to the side before responding, "Perhaps. I'm not sure, I haven't seen much of anyone going to the Cathedral. Of course I don't have vision that expands one hundred feet or more." Silence overtook as Nine stared at the tower quietly with a wanting look. He just wanted to see it again; this could be his last opportunity.

"I'll take you." Child caved, "Under one condition." He grew firm and Nine nodded in agreement, willing to be reasonable if the other Stitchpunk was. "You will do exactly as I say. You will follow me, you will stay quiet when I tell you to, you will hide when I tell you to, you will not give me that look, and we will have to be back before dark." Nine agreed and Child pulled his hand back before going to stand and heading back to the edge. Nine took a moment to stare out across the city at what he knew had been a wasteland.

Now here it was, standing proud before him, and no matter what happened he wanted to see everything while he still could. Of course Child soon interrupted his thoughts, "We don't have all day." By now the pale male was halfway climbing down to the window and Nine followed behind him loyally. Surprisingly enough he at least waited, watching the zippered male as he got down before heading back into the loft. Child led him down to the first floor and Nine silently followed, reveling in the surroundings.

Then he led him into another door that led to another set of stairs. These which led into a basement. Instead of descending them, Child climbed onto a small molding on the wall. He started down it carefully, over the descending stairs, and over the top of the basement itself. Nine followed him before freezing when he heard a loud, mechanical groan. "What's that?" He asked in a whisper and Child waved it off, "Pay it no mind. The generator turns on when the power dies and these days the power dies constantly."

Nine looked through the darkness of the basement and, sure enough, could see a large metal thing in the corner that appeared to be a generator. The molding led them to a small window against the roof that Child pushed out and headed through, holding it open to let Nine out. Now that they were in the small yard behind the house they headed between the homes and along the edge of the streets. Thankfully the streets had cleared out after the protest and because of this they were somewhat safe.

While Nine tried not to show it, he was starting to recognize the directions, and was growing eager as they crossed through flowerbeds and grass. He couldn't believe when he actually saw the Cathedral closely. The plane lodged in the roof was missing and every bit of damage was corrected. It looked magnificent and as he crept to the front he wanted to slip inside. He wasn't stopped and headed to the heavy doors that were slightly ajar, left open for anyone to enter into the Cathedral, into the safety of the Sanctuary.

He stepped inside and stared upwards at the tall ceiling. Tall rafters and glistening stained glass windows, large pews arranged in neat lined, and on the far side of the Cathedral he could see some sort of shrine. A large cross hung on the wall decorated with colorful fabric and beneath it, on a table before the cross was a display of dozens of candles. All of white, pristine wax, glowing with a beautiful, orange glow. He found himself drawn to the display with widened optics.

Something about it was just entrancing; almost like it was a display to the Stitchpunks themselves, those who live after the humans and those who perished, and his mind wandered to his predicament. "_I still have a chance to stop what happened, don't I? Maybe I could stop myself from awakening the Machine. I could change that much…" _It was a moral dispute and as he stared at the flickering candle he felt a calmness that overtook the thoughts completely. Child came to stand next to him, but he couldn't look away from the flames that reflected on the lenses of his optics.

Eventually he looked to Child who was just staring at him. "Child?" He asked in confusion and Child responded with, "Yes?" His tone breathy and his optics wide with some sort of mysterious emotion. Nine stared at him in questioning and in a split second Child averted his gaze to the candles, the same uninterested look as usual, and the moment deteriorated. "It seems I was wrong." He admitted, "Someone cared enough to make this memorial… Then again, Father's been out long enough that it may as well be him."

Nine gave a short nod and they continued to stare at the candles before them for a short while until Child drew attention. "Are you ready to go?" Nine looked upwards at the windows, "I guess so. Is it getting late already?" Child shrugged a little, "If we leave now we won't have nightfall looming over us." The zippered male nodded in understanding and turned around, "Alright. Let's go."

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><p><strong>Mable: A relatively quiet chapter, but quiet movements give 9 time to rest, and he could sure use it! Anyway, next chapter posted soon!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Mable: Here's chapter four! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Four_

The trip back to the First Room was quiet and not very interesting. Halfway there they had nearly ran into a male human who was walking to his front door and had to hide behind a flowerpot, but nothing more.

The sun was beginning to set once they got there and Nine's mind was still wide awake, partially because he had slept in so late into the day. As they entered back in through the basement he chimed up, "So what are we going to do now?" Child somewhat glanced back at him, "Now? I already took you to that Cathedral that you were interested in for little reason." He was being difficult and Nine wasn't willing to argue at the moment. "You're right. Thank you for taking me. I guess I'm just a little eager still." It was easy enough to say he was at fault than actually go into the details of why he wanted to do more.

They entered the First Room once again where Pet greeted his master eagerly to which Child stroked his back quickly before going to put his weapon away. Nine was much more enthusiastic when Pet approached. Now that he knew the Beast was safe he actually enjoyed the small one's attention and kneeled down to return it. After a few seconds Child suddenly asked, "You're not happy." He bluntly stated and Nine was surprised that he caught it, "No, I am happy." He insisted, "I'm glad I went. I just wish I would've stayed up earlier. I wasted the whole day."

What he meant was what his thoughts echoed, _"I wasted what may be my only day." _The other studied him and muttered a low, _"Glott." _Under his breath before becoming generous once again, though casually so, "The day isn't completely through. Let me show you the rest of the house; we needed a proper time for it and now we have nothing but time." Nine perked, "You will? If it's not asking too much, I just finished dragging you outside and around." Child was firm, "It is no trouble. I don't get enough activity to fill my days anyway."

He crossed back over and Pet hurried back to his side as Nine stood eagerly. The two headed outside the room with Pet coming along, climbing onto his back to be carried as they headed down a floor. Child led Nine to a room filled with books like a small library. "This is the study." Nine looked around in wonder, though not as much as earlier, and he approached to search the bottom row, reading the titles and trying to figure out which one would catch his interest. "Can you read?" Child inquired and Nine nearly choked on a chuckle, "Of course I can read. Can't you?"

The other came closer, looking over the books, "Naturally. I didn't mean to assume elsewise." Nine reassured him, "I haven't gotten a chance to, but I can. Anything in here interesting?" he asked and Child hummed a bit, "Everything can be interesting to someone. I'm certain you can find something suiting." Nine began to pull out a book one at a time before opening it on the floor where he would try a few pages. Most were medical books on human anatomy and such, which was interesting in its own way, but not enough to keep his interest too long.

Eventually Child finished moping around waiting and had pulled out a book for himself to read, propping it against another book and sitting comfortably on the rug. The zippered male felt his curiosity piqued and wondered what the other was reading. It would feel awkward enough to walk over and bluntly ask, yet Nine wasn't unfamiliar with awkward, and went to stand before wandering over. He looked over Child's shoulder curiously and said Stitchpunk noticed him immediately, "What are you doing?"

He asked and Nine tried to read the words over him, "What are you reading?" He asked in a friendly manner and Child dismissed with, "You wouldn't enjoy it." Nine wouldn't give in and Child was almost dumbstruck at out how the other just sat down beside him as though cordially invited. Child glanced to him before looking back to his book, Nine starting to read the words and trying to grasp the story even though it had already began. The pale male, in response, suddenly started flipping through the pages.

Nine was offended and expressed such, "I just wanted to read. You could've just said no." Child wanted to point out how stubborn Nine was, but instead merely stated, "What I was reading wouldn't catch your interest. If you're planning to read over my shoulder then I'd prefer to find something more fitting." He arrived at the table of contents and scrolled through it. "I don't suppose you actually know what interests you." Nine was pretty willing, "Anything's fine." Child insisted, "This book is filled with slight morbidity, dark thoughts, and death. I doubt you would find it enjoyable."

To his abrupt surprise Nine paused after this and then succumbed to Child's suggestion, "Well… I guess you're right. I'm not very fond of… Death." His voice was hesitance and he suddenly decided to pay attention to the floor instead of the book. A few seconds passed and Child himself just shut the book. "There has to be something more suitable." He insisted before beginning to stand and head back to the bookshelf. Nine watched him go before standing to follow. He somewhat hoped he wasn't being as intrusive as he felt, but for some reason he was clinging to the other.

Unfortunately he hadn't clung to Five. The thought went through his mind and nearly broke his heart. It was frustrating, but he managed to force it down and wandered beside the male as he stared at the books. One title caught his optics, "Surviving the Chancellor?" He asked, gesturing to the deep blue cover. For a second Child looked amused, "Oh look, Father's autobiography has finally gone to print." He playfully suggested before warning the other male, "Again, you wouldn't like it."

"We could try it." Nine suggested, wanting to read and unsure if Child was preparing to say no to every book. "There's death in it." He replied matter-of-factly, "It's about a trip out at sea in a ship. The ship sinks. Many humans die from literally jumping overboard." Nine tensed and grimaced, "That's how it ends?" It sounded clearly like a story he wasn't too interested in, unfortunately because he wanted to know more about the ship and why it sunk, and to know more about the sea itself. It was strange; he knew these words, but they didn't mean much to him.

"Here." Child suddenly announced, starting to pull a book out by the top of his cover. "A journey to the center of the Earth; not terribly long, no grasp of reality, and puts you in as many inane situations as possible. I'm half shocked that it fails to feature you." He pointed out, trying to rile Nine, and letting it drop open on the floor before moving it to the rug. Nine still looked over the covers, but did follow, and soon sat down beside Child who was now beckoning him. He aligned them to the beginning of the book and looked over the first page.

Nine started to read and caught himself murmuring the words under his breath in an attempt to break the silence that had again settled over them. He noticed that Child looked at him for a few seconds, but had remained silence. At the end of the page he stopped doing so and let the silence overtake. That was, until Child spoke, and Nine's expectation of a snide comment was tossed aside. "You stopped." He merely pointed out and Nine responded with, "I thought you would get annoyed by it." He accused suspiciously and waited for a retort.

There was none; instead, Child answered quickly, "It's… Comforting enough- By which I mean us sitting close enough that we're touching and being completely quiet is…" He went silent and Nine finished, "Yeah… I can keep reading." He offered and the other nodded before he looked back to the book, which he began to read out loud. The pale male listened carefully and his optics drifted away from the words and just listened. Nine wasn't sure why the other liked it so much, but he liked it as well.

The story caught his interest and took him above the current plane. It aroused his imagination which beforehand hadn't been used for much other than weapon making. He lost track of the precious time and hours ticked by. Occasionally Nine stood and stretched his legs while Child took over. Nine would pace and let visions fill his mind of the words that slipped through the other Stitchpunk's lips. His voice was almost haunting to Nine's audio receptors, keeping a steady pace that punctuated each word uniquely.

Then Child would take his turn to stand and Nine would sit down to read. Then, suddenly, mid-way through a line he yawned. He caught himself with his fist against his mouth and paused to make sure he was fine before continuing. The second time this happened went the same. The third time was when Child was reading and Nine was pacing, quite a bit slower than at the beginning of the book. Child responded by clearing voice box with a noise, to which Nine apologized quickly.

It was the fourth time when Nine was sitting down to read when Child announced, "We should get to bed." Nine nodded before standing tiredly, "Yeah, I'm pretty tired. You?" Child shrugged before folding over a corner of the paper to mark their place. He then closed the book and they started upstairs. Once in the First Room anything that could come were silence by footsteps from the stairs. Child suddenly tore off his hood, "Take this and go get in bed." He then looked to someone behind Nine, "You too. Goodnight Pet."

It must have been some sort of command as when Nine looked back he was climbing into bed. Nine started over, "What about this?" He showed the cloak to which Child lightly shushed and insisted, "Just keep it with you. I'll come get it later, now move along." He was very dismissive and Nine noticed that he was nervous. For a second he wasn't sure if the creature climbing the stairs was the Scientist himself or was some sort of soldier come to scout about, as the pale male was acting. Yet he obeyed and headed over to the bed, too tired to argue.

He laid down, tucking the cape in beside him, and closed his optics for a few seconds. They all but shot open when the new voice entered the room. "Good evening, Child." A warm and familiar voice that Nine only knew through small instances. Yet a part of him still recognized it completely and he sat upwards before crooking his head around to see something, anything. He could see the Scientist as he pulled out a chair and sat down at the workbench where Nine assumed Child was. While he could only see the back of his head it interested him to no end, he simply watched in awe.

"Good evening, Father." Child quipped back, his voice and tone seeming to change into someone else's. He was perked and pleasant, fawning over his parent, and Nine's entire witnessing of the event was based solely off what he heard in these moments. "How was your day?" The Scientist's tone changed to a tired one, "It was fine. Though there was a… dispute nearby, which made it difficult for me to come home." This explained his lateness. Nine noticed that Child didn't admit that he knew what happened, "That sounds awful, but it seems to happen a lot now."

"It does." The Scientist admitted, "But it is getting better. Eventually they will have to come to an agreement." Child agreed, but Nine didn't believe the Scientist and he doubted Child did either. Yet then the Scientist changed his tone, "I saw that you were reading earlier." Nine flinched and he wondered if he had been caught, but Child's comment eased him, "I forgot to put the books away. I'm sorry." The Scientist didn't sound like he minded, "No, no. I'm glad to see that something in the library interests you… If you would like, I could read to you a bit. It's been quite a long time."

Child agreed immediately, happily, and the Scientist left to go find the book he had been reading. Tired or not Nine waited in a daze until the older male returned and watched as he sat down in his chair, taking his Child into his wrinkled hand and resting him upon his lap as he opened the book to the marked page. He then adjusted his glasses and began to read, his voice filling the workshop. For a second Nine had to hold himself back from running over to his Creator. The familiarity was there; he could recognize everything about his creator and everything that he had been cheated out of was here before him.

He had been cursed as the final born to never feel that love that came from a parent to their child, yet had never known how much he wanted it until this moment. Envy should have been what he felt, but instead he simply watched Child, and the Scientist, and let the steady pleasure fill his being. He felt the smile return to his face and listened as the story was recited further. It wasn't too long before he was struggling to stay awake. He wasn't ready to go to sleep, to let go, but he still found himself vanishing from the world as tiredness took over.

When Nine awoke he noticed there was someone beside him. He sat upwards abruptly and looked around frantically. That's when he realized he was still there, he was still in the Scientist's workshop, and he exhaled in relief. Though right afterwards he realized what he did and was alarmed to note that he actually was glad that he was here. It was so confusing, he knew he should have wanted to wake next to Seven and the twins, but there was something that he liked here. He felt safe here. That's when he noticed Child was lying beside him in bed.

Not touching him, but facing him, looking shockingly serene in his sleep. A crooked smile passed the zippered male's face, _"I'm guessing that's a first." _He noted before leaning forward, "_I haven't seen hooks and clasps before. Did they not work well and he abandoned using them?" _He resisted tapping the metal but still managed to awaken Child whose optics opened only for him to abruptly jolt backwards. He laid there in the position for a few seconds just looking at Nine with a suspicious glint before murmuring, "Don't do that."

"Sorry." Nine didn't know why he was apologizing, but felt the need to as he was invading Child's bed. Child still stared at him and a few seconds passed, then he reached forward and brushed Nine's shoulder. The younger was confused and a little uneasy about being touched in such a precise way, like the other was studying him. Then the pale male asked, "Why are these stitches red?" Nine suddenly realized that Child meant his scar and abruptly looked downwards, "I- That- That's a scar. I was injured and got sewn back. It was a Cat Beast."

A few seconds passed before Child repeated, "A Cat Beast?" Nine was confused at why, if there were Machines, Child wouldn't know about this peculiar kind. "It's made of a Cat's body." Child remarked with a blank, "That's terrifying- Now how exactly did this get sewn back? You did it yourself?" Nine decided to lie a bit, "I did. I can't remember it well." Child sat upwards in the bed and reached out to touch over the stitches in a confused manner, studying their pattern, but said nothing and soon pulled back. "Good color choice. It looks well on you."

Nine didn't know what kind of compliment that was, but noticed he felt a bit too good about it. It hadn't been as though Child had told him that he was a genius or anything, he had just complimented a color, and yet Nine was thinking too much into it. Child, meanwhile, climbed out of bed, fished his cape out from the blankets, and prepared for a new day. "It sounds like it's raining again. It might be best if we stay in today." He pointed out simply to his companion before adding in, "If you're willing, I'll show you around the rest of the home."

As the house was practically destroyed in Nine's time he was more than eager to see what it used to look like. "Sure. Let's go." He nearly jumped out of bed and hurried after Child, Pet tailing after him. As he stopped beside Child he added in, "I, umm… I saw the Scientist last night." The pale male paused before nodding, "Yes, he's my father, my creator." Nine tried to think of something to say and eventually came with, "You don't act the same when you're around him." Child remarked with, "I'm not the same when I'm around him."

Whatever that meant, it sounded like the final point, so Nine didn't ask anymore as Child led him downstairs again. This time he was more hesitant, "Father will most likely be dining at this hour, so we will not be heading there at the moment." The zippered male didn't know how he knew but wondered if it was because of an odd smell coming from downstairs. It smelled good, whatever it was, but didn't ask. Instead he was taken into a small room on the far side of the house.

"This is one of the many sitting rooms." Child pointed out as he gestured inside, "Unlike the others, this one has a working Gramophone." Nine blinked and when Child led him inside he saw what he meant. "A phonograph." He murmured under his breath and the pale male smiled proudly, "Of course. Naturally Father would have one." He crossed over towards said table and began to climb onto it. He then headed over to the crank on the side, "Here, I'll show you how these work." With that he began to turn the crank, winding the machine.

Nine knew how the twins got it to work, but understood the logic of having it work this way and climbed onto the table before joining the pale male. After a few seconds he rested his hands on the crank and began to turn it as well. Child looked surprised by the action and Nine smiled before resting a hand on his new friend's. However, something suddenly happened, something that Nine didn't expect. The second his hand brushed Child's he felt a brief shock that was either from static or was something emotional that he didn't understand.

Either way, he let his hand promptly slip off and began assisting in turning the crank until the machine was finally brought to life. Soft music filtered through the sitting room and immediately Nine's mind eased. It wasn't 'Somewhere Over the rainbow', but it was equally beautiful, and he was safe here. Yet at the same time he suddenly thought back again, "_So it's going to happen again? Everything, the Machine, is going to happen again… Maybe there's a way I can leave myself a message so that I can stop it, but what if then it stops me from coming here? Is it an endless loop?"_

"You look distracted." Child pointed out as he moved to sit on the crank, certain that it had been wound enough by now. Nine nodded, "I was thinking about… About something strange but something that's been interesting me." He waited until the crank got lowed and sat alongside the pale male. As distant as he seemed, he didn't mind him sitting so close, and offered, "Care to elaborate?" Nine knew he needed a second opinion and he knew that one was being presented right in front of him. He was careful with the delicate subject as he explained.

"I was thinking about time travelling; about going through time to a further or past period. Do you think it exists?" Child took a few seconds to ponder before reciting, "The concept exists. An author who I am familiar with wrote on the subject elaborately. Father is fond of his work." This perked Nine's interest, "So the Scientist- Well, Father- I mean," He exhaled at his inability to come with a conclusive title and Child offered casually, "If you aren't certain that he is your creator his working name is Doctor Julius Bergeron. Though the media decides that the Scientist title is better, dissociative in a way."

Nine nearly let himself speak the name but retracted and instead found himself speaking, "He is my Creator, I know it, so I guess I'll call him Father like you." For a second he noticed Child get a bit of a smile and realized that he had pleased the arguably older male by this comment. "But about this time travelling book, does it talk about what happens when someone goes into the past?" Again Child paused before answering. Up until this moment he hasn't actually given Nine eye contact, but he suddenly decides to, and doesn't look back away as he explains.

"The book involves the man going to the future instead. He discovers that the world has drastically changed and humans have evolved into one of two classes; the small, young, and childlike innocence and the monsters that eat them. He spends most of his time amongst them- Is something the matter?" He had to have noticed how Nine suddenly stopped and began to stare blankly, disturbed at how precise the future was suggested to be, but shook it off. "So they don't mention going back in time? If there's a way to change the past that it will affect the future?"

"They don't delve into it quite as much." Child answered, "But I assume that going into the past wouldn't secure a change. How much damage can one person do?" To this Nine released a nervous chuckle, "A lot." He admitted as though spilling his own faults, "One person can, in one day, destroy years of work just because they feel like it." There was some silence and Nine now averted his eyes until Child spoke, "That was… oddly specific, I will admit, but I assume you are correct. I have been a perpetrator of this; I have done something horrible in the past."

"Oh?" Nine offered, "Like what?" A few seconds passed and Child didn't respond. "Child?" Nine insisted and Child put a hand upwards, "No, I'm answering you, I just… It's slipped my mind for a moment." He seemed to be struggling, "It was something, but I can't really recall…" He then paused, "But anyway, time travel, let's focus on that. I am assuming that H. G. Wells put his belief in his work. Perhaps he believes that eventually the world will be destroyed or that human behavior will change drastically." Because of this, Nine stared once again, and this time Child just stared back silently.

He seemed somewhat confused by Nine's constant hesitation and Nine excused himself, "How long have you been living with Father?" Child thought back and eventually answered with, "Perhaps about six months. I don't remember the exact date." Silence overtook once again before the Phonograph started to slow down. The music slowly dimmed and slowed its tired tune. At this time Nine had a new idea and asked, "Can you show me the book about time travel?" Child was more than willing as he was bored of sitting there silently.

As they headed back to the study, Nine mulled over his current situation. "_I'm trapped in another time with a Stitchpunk who doesn't even exist. This doesn't make any sense; if this guy needed a time machine, then why did I need to hit my head?" _Then came the more important question, "_How long… Am I going to be here?"_

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><p><strong>Mable: Alright, so it's another quiet chapter but it just sort of happened. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed, and the next chapter will be posted as soon as I can manage!<br>**_**Glott: Adjective, means 'difficult to please'.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Mable: Well here we are; 'Past Mistakes' and 'Fabric Runs Shallow' being posted on the same night. It's going to be a little longer until the other story is updated, but it will be updated tonight. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Five_

Nine remembered returning back to the book all day long to read and get ideas of his current situation. Yet at one point he gave into the temptation of the smell of dusty pages filled with wonder and tales of such. Nine wasn't sure exactly when he rested his head on the pages and fell fast asleep but did remember when he was shook awake by Child. "Nine, it's late and you're falling asleep. Go to bed." Maybe Nine's mind was still clouded but he found himself slipping, he didn't know why the name, "Two?" dared to slip his lips.

Either Child didn't hear him or didn't catch the context as he merely nudged him further before getting a bit more hands on. "I'm taking you to bed." He insisted and Nine flinched. It was starting to occur to him that he was awfully tired since his trip and wondered if it meant anything. Either way he felt a hand slip under his back and lean him back, he tried to swat Child away but the other was determined, and a second arm slipped under his knees to hold him securely and he was slowly lifted off of the ground.

It took Child a few seconds to get reacquainted again with Nine's weight, but once he did he was able to somewhat easily carry the male out of the room. Nine didn't protest, he just rested his head on Child's shoulder and draped his arm over the other one, trying to stay awake through his exhaustion. His head felt fuzzy and hot, and he could barely keep his optics opened. By time they arrived at the bed Nine was half alright with just letting himself fall asleep. He was laid down on the bed and Child was insistent on making sure he was completely covered and tucked in.

While the pale male made his side of the bed Nine couldn't help but just watch him. He wasn't sure what kind of an interest it was, no doubt it was interest, but suddenly he was wondering more about the male who he was with. He had been learning about the world and yet hadn't yet managed to learn about the Stitchpunk with him. Because of such he had a goal and planned to do so in the morning.

When Nine awoke it was from dull talking nearby and he was somewhat surprised by it. His optics fluttered open and he sluggishly began to sit upwards before stretching his back a little. Child was still asleep and tucked too far under the blankets to see him. The zippered male could somewhat remember what he was thinking last night, but he couldn't very well study him when he wasn't awake. Instead he gave him a thankful pat where he assumed his shoulder would be for bringing him up here and putting him in bed. It reminded him of something Five would do.

The figure moved a little and Nine smiled before climbing over him and out of bed. He wanted to find the source of the talking and stepped towards the open workshop door. Slowly he headed into the stair well and inched down the stairs one at a time. Soon he was down at the first floor, alone, peering through the stairwell rails and towards a nearby room where the voices were coming from. He could see a glimpse of an unused fireplace and half of the body of a man in some sort of suit who Nine couldn't recognize.

He listened closer, "So your main goal in creating the Machine wasn't for it to be used as a War Machine?" It sounded like some sort of interview and there came a more familiar voice, "Of course not. The B.R.A.I.N. was never supposed to be a tool of war. I would have never even brought my findings before the Chancellor if I thought he was planning this…" The Scientist sounded absolutely devastated and Nine suddenly felt something that he hadn't before. An anger towards the Chancellor instead of the Machine. He had started to piece together the Chancellor's involvement and wasn't liking what he heard.

"We understand." The man spoke, "We simply need all of the details. I'm sure you realize by now that we are not the enemy." The Scientist added in with, "Of course not." Yet he sounded meek and as the man continued explaining about what the Rebels were planning Nine felt badly for his parent. Maybe even more because he knew what was coming and he slowly turned to head back up the stairs. He didn't want to hear anymore, there wasn't anything he was able to learn here that would help him.

As he entered the workshop again he pondered what to do and eventually climbed onto the workbench. When he glanced at the bed he noticed Child was gone, but decided to leave him be instead of going to search. Upon the workbench he began to look around for anything obvious and soon came across something that the Scientist had been writing shortly ago. It looked to be a journal entry and the inkwell was still opened and resting beside it. His optics went to the paper and began to read over the Scientist's worries with an uncanny fascination.

Yet only a few seconds in and there was a loud banging noise followed by a sputter of coughing and, "_Daiwelen!" _Nine jumped to his feet and the inkwell toppled over before him. He gasped at his mistake and straightened it before trying to move the journal entry out of the way so that it wouldn't get touched by the small puddle. Once he was sure it was secure he dashed across the workbench and looked down. There was Child having just stepped out of a crawlspace opening and knocking over a stack of books which spilled dust.

Nine felt a smile begin to tug at his lips as he crossed his arms playfully, "Now where have you been?" The pale Stitchpunk looked upwards and retorted, though with a slight playful tone, as playful as Child could get with his mocking nature, "I may as well ask you the same thing." He then began to climb onto the workbench and Nine crossed back to the paper and stared down at it. The pale Stitchpunk arrived beside him and immediately saw the puddle, "Oh, so you've been busy, again." He dryly stated before tearing a piece off of a sheet of blank paper nearby and dropping it on the ink in an attempt to soak it.

"So what were you doing down there?" He asked curiously and Child paused before responding, "Most likely the same thing as you. I am assuming you went downstairs alone?" He offered and Nine nodded. "I am hoping you weren't seen." Nine insisted, "I wasn't seen, but I did see what was going on. Father's down there talking with someone." The pale male's face grew firm as he glared at the puddle, "One of the rebels, I know." Nine blinked but before he could ask Child stood and began to wander about, somewhat pacing a bit.

"Don't let their title fool you. They are only rebels because they detest the Chancellor, they were perfectly fine with that _thing _existing until he got involved." The younger was clearly split on whether to say anything or not. Unfortunately his recent findings on the Chancellor irritated him much more than he expected. "I guess there's a reason for that. The Chancellor has done so much wrong." Child continued to pace, waving in dismissal, "I'm not defending him. Indeed he_ is _a problem. He simply is not _the _problem."

"I heard Father downstairs," Nine argued, "He said that he didn't have time to finish the Machine." This was a lie; Julius never said that, but since Nine knew it anyway he stated it. Now the albino looked to him with an accusation on his tongue, "It is almost as though you are defending it." Now Nine slipped, because that actually hit home, "Me defending it?! After what it did to-?! Never mind. I guess you just don't understand what I'm trying to say. Or maybe you just think I'm not intelligent enough to listen to."

With that he looked away towards the window with annoyance and the silence was thick over the loft room. As he brewed about how frustrated he was towards the other male for saying something like that the other stayed silent. Then, suddenly, Child spoke, "No, Nine, I don't think that. I think you are much more trusting and compassionate than I have ever been." The sudden change of tone startled Nine and he looked back to Child before he continued, "That does not change my opinions on the rebels. I think they are just as problematic as the soldiers."

"I think you're right about that." Nine agreed calmly. The awkward moment still lasted before Nine suddenly asked, "What does that mean?" Child responded cynically, "That means that all humans are equally insane." The zippered male smiled a little before correcting. "What you said when coming out of the crawlspace, which you still didn't explain why you were in." The albino one kneeled down to wipe at the ink once again with the damp paper, "I was trying to listen to Father's conversation. The crawlspace leads around the house."

"You must not use it much. There's cobwebs all down your cape." The pale male looked over his shoulder and hummed as bit before shrugging a bit and looking back to the ink, "The word is a swear spoken in Luxembourgish tongue." He then winced as though he was hurt and pulled back, to which Nine came forward only to ease as he realized that it was merely a speck of ink on his fabric. "Come with me. I'll need to clean this before it stains." Nine playfully reminded that it was just a bit, but Child was adamant, and the two slipped down a floor to a bathroom.

There was a little rope tied to the cabinets that led onto the sink. Child climbed first, then Nine, and soon they were standing beside each other on the sink that Child stopped with a plug and then turned the knob to pour water into. Unlike all of the water Nine had been in contact with, this typed was warmed and steam rose from it to where it almost fogged the lens of his optics. Part of him was tempted to try it as Child slid down into the bowl and stripped his cape off before dipping it in the water and beginning to scrub it and the black spot.

"So what is Luxembourgish tongue exactly?" He finally gave in and slipped down into the bowl, the sudden warmth causing him to sharply inhale before he got used to it. Child glanced over, optics glancing over his frame slowly, and then him averting his eyes to his cape before speaking. "It's a different language, Luxembourgish, that some speak. I speak it well enough." This caught Nine's interest; he had noticed some papers that he couldn't read and never understood what they meant and only now knew that perhaps he could decode them.

"Could I learn how to speak it? Or at least understand it?" Child stared at him and didn't respond. "Really, I want to. What do you think?" Child let out a murmur of, "I'm still trying to decide what I think." The zippered male expected that there was an insult in there somewhere and was half surprised when he didn't catch it. "It's difficult, but perhaps." Child responded as he pulled his cape from the water and began to squeeze it dry. "While your little contact with it will make it much harder, I will admit that you are stubborn enough to stay with it, are you not?"

"I'm not going to quit, I will stay with it." He swore and Child straightened, "Then for the rest of the day my primary language will become Luxembourgish and I will teach you through little use of anything else." While it seemed rather sudden, Nine nodded in agreement as he was willing to agree. "Since it is also your first day with Luxembourgish I am not even going to try to attempt to teach you past the basics. Once you can properly tell me at least one sentence then I'll be willing to expand your reaches."

"Alright, sounds easy enough." Then, suddenly, Child's speaking changed and even though he was still prattling on in explanation Nine had no idea what he was saying. He just watched as he finished drying his cape and wandered over to him. He pointedly announced, "_Salut, Neng. Wei geet et dir?" _He then waited for Nine's following question. Nine knew he was probably trying to show him up by catching him off guard and spoke, "It… sounds like a greeting?"

He offered and Child was somewhat impressed, though didn't show much more than a nod, "You are correct. I greeted you and I asked how you were. Can you repeat it? Probably not." Nine was fueled by the challenge, "Of course I can. You just said it." He then repeated the phrase slowly; the pronunciation was off, but Child assumed that it could be fixed later. "I stand corrected," He casually responded, "Now how are you?" Nine just stared at him.

"You're fine, Nine, there's nothing wrong with you." Child pointed out somewhat flatly as his patience slipped a bit, "Then you would say '_Gutt', _which means 'fine'. I'll ask you again; _Salut, Neng. Wei geet et dir?" _Nine immediately responded with, "_Gutt." _To which Child gave a small bit of a smile, to which Nine oddly felt a little strange. Child had moved during their talk and they were now standing together so he wasn't sure why this discomfort occurred, because it wasn't as though he had kept distance from anyone else.

If just felt oddly awkward having the other male paying so much attention, watching so intently and actually being pleased with his small victories, and it was almost as though Nine was feeling shy. He looked down at the water before Child spoke again, "Now think back; What is your name? _Wei heeschs du?" _Nine assumed that he translated his own question and perked because he knew how to answer this question. Earlier there had been a word that particularly stood out, "Is it _Neng?" _He asked and Child's smile stayed, "Very good, _Neng. _Come along, you still have much to learn."

As such most of the day involved Child leading Nine around and pointing out what he could before giving them a title in Luxembourgish. While it wasn't a lot to begin with, Nine was glad to not be overwhelmed and was even more glad to secure this bond with his fellow Stitchpunk. They also returned to reading both of their books, one at a time, but during this process Child seemed to be finding difficult reading out loud in Luxembourgish and merely caved to reading normally. Eventually another day drew to a close.

Tonight Nine was feeling oddly eager about his situation and hopped into bed pleasantly, naturally assuming they were settled into sharing the bed once again. Even though beds seemed to be private in Nine's short time of being with the other he noticed that sharing a bed was quite nice. It certainly felt less lonely and he sat there for a moment waiting for Child. However, it soon occurred to him that Child wasn't coming, _"Gutt Nuecht!_" He called in almost teasing but partially reminding that they had been planning to head to bed.

It was getting late so when Child didn't respond he climbed back out of bed, _"Kand?" _He asked in confusion and glanced over to see that Child was now on the workbench. He hadn't noticed him climbing up there and, of course, followed to retrieve him, climbing up onto the workshop beside him. "_Kand, _what's wrong?" He asked as he looked over to the albino Stitchpunk who was kneeled looking over some sort of poster that depicted more war propaganda. The pale male didn't even look over as he merely stated, "_Letzebuergesch."_

The command didn't sway Nine, "We can continue that tomorrow. You haven't taught me how to be concerned in the language." The other Stitchpunk made a scoffing noise, "Well, you have a right to be concerned. Come look at this. This is what the Rebel must have brought to Father." Looking at the poster it was depicting a scene of such of Machines and soldiers fighting together in the battlefield. "So they are planning to fight with the Machines… But who? Who would they want to attack that badly?"

Child actually was slowly becoming angry, but Nine knew it wasn't at him, "Everyone. Germany, France, Belgium especially; The Chancellor wants it all and the Machine is going to give it to them." Then suddenly his bitter voice lowered to a furious degree, "I hate them." Nine sighed before adding in, "After what the Machine and the Chancellor have done you have every right to." Yet before he could continue by explaining further Child insisted, "No, Nine. I hate them. I hate the humans. I hate that they're doing this."

Nine stared at him before starting to ask, "But…" And in his pause he was interrupted, "They are buying this propaganda, they are joining this army, and they are all to blame. Have you even considered the fact that they are the reason you and I cannot walk freely on the streets?" He was clearly angry and Nine realized that he was most likely blowing off steam. Because of this he rested a hand on the other male's shoulder and tried to coax him back, "I know, Child, but let's not let them ruin our night." He suggested and suddenly the other male caved.

"Very well… You are right, we shouldn't let them invade this as well." He seemed quite a bit melancholy and the two climbed down as Nine led him across the room to their shared bed when the male simply sat down and refused to move further, staring at the floor and rubbing his hands together anxiously. Nine couldn't help but see it as endearing and worked his hood off before folding it on the foot of the bed. He then patted the pale male's back before laying down on the bed on his side, dragging the blanket over him and watching the other male.

Though he did notice something that he partially remarked on before. Child was lacking a number or any symbol at all on his back and Nine wondered if he needed to ask about it, "Child?" He asked to which the pale male turned his head to signal he was listening. "Never mind. It's late, we can talk about it tomorrow." He then laid back down upon the pillow and rolled to face the opposite way, relaxing and allowing his body to calm. A few seconds passed before Child laid down as well and Nine felt a lot more at ease.

Of course that was abruptly interrupted the second that Child became bold enough to wrap both of his arms around his waist from behind. The zippered male froze in place as he felt the other's forehead press between his shoulder blades. Then, suddenly, he felt something he hadn't in a very long time, perhaps even ever. He had needed Child to help him, to teach him, but now he felt that same need and found that it was nice to actually be needed. He was never really needed by the others when he thought he was, he always made their situation worse.

Yet as he rested his hand on Child's which was now resting on his zipper he was content. Maybe he was needed here and if this was the case maybe it wasn't such a terrible thing if he never left.

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><p><strong>Mable: I think this may be the shortest chapter. Honestly this wasn't intentional. I've been writing this story in one large file and moving it into smaller ones, for no particular reason, and have been primarily stopping my chapters because of which section I want to leave off at. This time it turned out to be a little earlier, but I guess that happened sometimes. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed! Next update soon!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Mable: Whoa, whoa, what happened?! I had this chapter finished days ago and I… I just forgot to upload it! O.O I'm so sorry about this, but I won't let it happen again! I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Six_

_Nine's optics opened to a bright light high above him that was clouding his gaze. "What…?" He spoke when suddenly a figure appeared looking down at him, as though he was laying down, and he smiled, "Five?" Hope was filling his voice and the one eyed one's face alit with a smile as well, "Nine! You're- You're okay!" The zippered male started to sit upwards to which the one eyed male gently pushed him back down. "Don't get up, okay?" The burlap one looked around at a bright and unfamiliar room, "Where are we?"_

"_It's okay, Nine, we're home." Five encouraged, looking so relieved as he clasped Nine's hand with his own two. "Two's here, he just walked off, and so is everyone else! Everyone's going to be glad to see you're doing better." Nine looked to him and smiled warmly, "I'm just… I'm just glad you're okay." He then noticed something else and perked as he reached upwards, "You're patch is fixed." The Healer chuckled a bit, "Yeah, we fixed that quickly. How are you feeling, though, are you okay?"_

"_I'm perfectly fine now." Nine responded as he felt a choke in his voice, "I thought I lost you. All of the others are here too? Six? One? Eight?" the older nodded with every name, "They're all okay. One's probably going to come in to see you. He was there when… Six, I think, is drawing and Eight's somewhere around here. Creator, Nine, I thought-! Well, it doesn't matter, what matters is that you're okay." Suddenly Nine felt a trembling in his head and the light started to dim, "Five? What's going on?" The Healer seemed to become sad, or perhaps worried._

"_Nine, it's… It's okay. Just stay there and it'll be alright." The younger Stitchpunk started to panic as his head shifted, hot and pain filled, "Five, no, wait!" The room started to fade away around him and so did the Healer's voice. "Five! Come back! Don't leave me!" He cried out in horror and everything slowly began to fade away, "No! No don't- don't go!" Then, suddenly, his optics opened._

The second that the dark room appeared around him he broke. It was as though everything that had built suddenly collapsed as he was taunted. He had seen Five in a dream, he had been so close, and now he was completely gone once again. Nine clutched his face as a mix of sobs and hyperventilation. He began to weep louder than he ever imagined and the pale Stitchpunk beside him shot upwards, "Creator, Nine!" He called out in surprise, looking over at the tanned one, "What's going on- Are you crying?" His frantic surprise started to calm down as he noticed the scene.

He was still pretty surprised and Nine looked to him sadly, pathetically. For a split second Child actually felt his breath hitch at seeing the other in such a state while Nine crumbled further. "Child, I- I swear he was- this is all my fault!" He began to cry harder once again and his head dropped, hands falling into his lap as dry sobs wracked through his body. His shoulders hunched and shook with every waver of his body as he stared down at the bedding. All he could think of was whatever afterlife that existed and how close he had been to being with his lost family.

Then, suddenly, Child reached out and wrapped his arms around Nine's frame to hold him. Each move was halting, each unsure, yet he pulled Nine to him and held him tightly and safely against him. "Was it a nightmare?" He asked quietly and Nine tried to respond, but his voice merely wavered and choked. "It's over, Nine, there's nothing here to hurt you." Nine shook his head as he started to Child, holding him desperately, "They're all gone… For a second I thought- It's not fair. I didn't mean to do it, why couldn't I have been punished instead of them? Why'd they have to be taken away?"

He didn't care what he was saying and merely let his emotions spill. He needed it, he needed the comfort, and as Child stroked his back he realized that it was helping greatly. Child meanwhile couldn't help but suddenly feel protective as he held the younger to him. "It's almost morning, Poppet, the night is almost over." He shushed, using the title as a term of endearment to help ease him, and slowly Nine's crying started to slow. "I feel weak." He admitted, "I feel awful."

Child again shushed him, "You're neither. You just got frightened. Nightmares can seem worse than they are." He assumed it was Nine's first nightmare and, in a sense, it was. He tucked the smaller's head beside his and tugged the blanket up with his knee before pulling it the rest of the way with his hand and tucking it in around Nine's body. He accidently brushed Nine's hip and found it lingering a bit too long before mentally scolding himself to pull it together, reminding himself that he needed to get a grip on his own behavior.

Suddenly Nine was exhausted and the inviting warmth of the other tugged him back towards sleep, "Child," He sputtered out breathily, "Child, don't let me go." Child insisted, "I'm not going to. Just get some rest." The zippered male repeated again, "Don't go. Don't let me go. I don't want to be alone." He said softly as he started to fall back asleep. Child paused for a few minutes before reaching upwards and stroking the back of his head in gentle patterns, over the stitches on the back, and spoke in the same, unusually soft tones.

"Listen to me, Nine, all we have is each other. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

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><p>Nine awoke only partially remembering what had happened during the night. His face was pressed against the warmth of Child's chest and the other's arm was draped over his back. Yet he wasn't eager to move. Not because he wanted to stay stuck in bed all day, but mostly because he just didn't have the ability to get up and out of bed. His body felt tired and uncomfortable, his mind felt deflated and empty, and his will had vanished just as quickly. No matter what time he was in he would be haunted by the loss and he knew it.<p>

He pulled the blanket over his head and continued to lay there as though he was asleep against the other Stitchpunk. _"He's not in the future…" _He reminded himself sadly, "_Does that mean that he'll be lost too? Does everyone I get close to have to die?" _He buried his head deeper into the other's fabric and felt a twitch of response as Child roused awake. "Nine?" He asked and Nine didn't respond. A few seconds passed before, with a small exhale, Child slid out from underneath the other male and stood to start his day.

The sudden lack of the other heat source made Nine feel even worse. He nuzzled into the spot where the male had just been desperately as though seeking the same protection. Even if it wasn't Two or Five, it was someone, and he was beginning to feel so very lonely. Soon Child returned to get his hood and began to slip it on while asking, "Dare I ask what happened last night?" He spoke and Nine exhaled in a huff before poking his head out. The albino had figured out he was awake and he pitifully responded with, "It was just a nightmare. That's it."

"I have never heard of a nightmare rendering someone into _that._" Child pointed out and Nine defended, "It was… My first one." Child didn't seem to be fully convinced, but was still sympathetic, "They're always the worst." He agreed and the zippered male rolled over, propping himself on the pillow as he asked for advice in the form of, "What was your first nightmare?... And how did you get over it?" The albino one answered quickly, "It was the night before I found you." He then gave a bit of a smirk, "It was precognition for the trouble that was yet to come."

Nine gave a small smile of good humor, but wasn't feeling much better, which Child noticed and awkwardly continued, "Let's see… The house had caught on fire and I was trying to escape through some sort of emergency hatch, but could not find a way to open it. Then I finally managed to pry it open and there was a sudden backdraft, shattering the hatch like glass and sending the shards towards me. Then I awoke, burning with fever, confused beyond belief. I went to the window to get air and that's when I noticed you."

"I don' even remember being near here… But I couldn't really see well." Nine excused, feeling a little curious about a new subject, "Why did you come after me?" Child raised a brow, "You're full of questions today." Nine now gave a slightly more eased smile, "It, well, it makes me feel better… Unless you want to talk about your nightmare more." Child choked, "Creator, no! The last thing I want to focus on is having my fabric being burned off. I would more than gladly change to explaining how I knew you would be injured if I didn't get to you as soon as possible."

This got a little bit of a chuckle from Nine, but didn't seem to help the cause. "Perhaps I was a bit lonely." Child responded quietly and this triggered Nine to stare. A few seconds passed. "You're not lonely. You have Father and Pet." He reminded to which Child shuffled uncomfortably, clearly not wanting to address the issue, "It's not enough. Pet is just my companion, Father is barely here, and I spend most of my time waiting for a dark or stormy day so I can leave the house. Which already is a catastrophe since I have a high chance of having to see humans."

He silenced his venting before looking over to Nine almost hesitantly, "Finding you has… Insignificantly enhanced my life. While you can be infuriating at times, I will admit that it is nice to talk to something other than the radio." Nine smiled, "As long as you don't start treating me like the radio." There was a smile from Child and Nine felt remarkably well. Something about hearing that Child wanted him there made him gain a little bit of that will back, the will to go on, and the hope that things would get better.

"So what are we going to do today?" Nine asked in a friendly tone and Child paused before suddenly staring out like he had an idea, "Perhaps reading, more Luxembourgish, and tonight… I think I may have plans for tonight, for the both of us." He had a cunning smile and Nine was curious, but decided to keep from asking, as Child seemed to want it as a secret. So the day went on as normal with Luxembourgish lessons and Nine watching as Child trained Pet. Then, in the late afternoon Child dismissed himself.

"I need to leave for a bit. Wait here until I return." He insisted and the younger agreed, "Alright. When will you be back?" The pale male responded quickly, "Never." The younger rolled his optics playfully and the older gave a small smile, "I won't be gone for long. Just be prepared to leave when I return." Nine was surprised at how eager he was as Child left. He doubted whatever the surprise would be was that good, and yet he couldn't help but stay excited. Even as the thoughts tried to bother him once again he stood strong and waited for him to return.

Meanwhile he switched books to the Time Machine and began trying to seek answers there. "_This isn't any help at all! He used a Machine to get through…" _Nine huffed and spoke out loud to himself, "This doesn't make any sense. How did I get through from just hitting my head?" At this time Pet scurried up with a squeak, scratching at Nine's leg before dropping a small wooden ball beside him. Nine knew what he wanted and tossed it across the floor, watching him rush off after it and smiling.

Unfortunately the smile dropped and he sighed before admitting, "Alright… What if this is just a dream? I mean, it would mean that I had a dream within a dream last night, but it makes sense…" He paused before shaking his head pitifully, a horrible throbbing in his chest. "I can't go back to that. I can't go back to Seven and the twins alone, without Five, without Two, without… Child." Now he was actually willing to admit that Child was rubbing off on him. If he really thought about it he was becoming quite comfortable with Child in the short time they knew each other.

At this time he was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion echoing through the window. The male gasped and dashed over to climb upwards and stare out. Far past the walls of the city in the battle zone there was a large plume of smoke rising and he knew it wasn't from the Machine. "It's getting worse…" He mumbled to himself as he climbed down, "I guess I don't have much time." Now on the floor he turned around and cried out in alarm. There was Child standing there beside the book, looking directly at him, listening to him.

"Do you enjoy scaring me like that?!" Nine asked in alarm and Child responded with a simple, "Before?" The zippered one blinked, "What?" The pale male's optics were staring straight at him, devoid of emotion, a piercing gaze that he swore he recognized before, but not from Child. Perhaps it had been one of the other Stitchpunks who he saw the gaze with, "You don't have much time before?" While it took Nine off-guard he tried to remedy it, "I… I just meant- You caught me in a bad moment, I meant before we would have to come back home. That's all."

This was a lie; Nine meant until the Machine turned against the humans, until it destroyed the world, until it destroyed everything, but he couldn't go this far just to ruin the future now. It wasn't fair to the others to erase their existence further. Child's gaze flickered away, "I see…" Then straightened, "You are right, though. Something going wrong on the battlefield always sends soldiers through the streets. We'll have to hurry if we're going to get to the theater in time." Now Nine's optics widened in interest as the two headed towards the stairs, "The Theater? What's that?" He asked curiously.

Like a lot of things, the name rung a bell in his memory, but he found it easier just to ask. This time Child wasn't quick to show off by giving his knowledge. "You'll see soon enough." He passed off and led the younger through the downstairs exit once again. The streets weren't especially empty and they had to stay at the back roads to keep from being seen. Nine tried to memorize where the streets were and tried to remember which way was which for future reference. The two continued along before soon arriving at a large building.

It was styled somewhat like the Library and looked to have humans inside. Child was insistent, "Stay low, stay quiet. There will be many humans here in the near future and we'll have to watch for them." He led Nine through the open door and into a luxurious lobby. The floor was lined with plush carpet and the walls were marked with numerous posters in glass frames. The pale male led him around a potted plant and behind a desk with a woman sitting at it. At first Nine was uneasy, but he soon realized that the woman was writing something down and paying them no mind.

They slipped back into a hall lined with propped open doors and Child eventually chose one that Nine knew wasn't random. Through the door they entered into a large room set with many chairs staring at a wide screen. He looked over the room, "So what are we doing here?" He asked to which Child offered, "Going into the front where we won't be seen." In the front row of seats Child led Nine to one that look to be in shambles. "This is the only chair in the entire theater that it mangled enough that humans won't be sitting in it." He pointed out and Nine added in.

"If we sit on the chair we'll be incredibly visible." To which Child gave a small look of confidence, "That's why we will be under the chair. If we sit near the front the row behind us won't see us." He guided Nine underneath to where someone had placed some of the stuffing from the inside of the chair above, Nine guessed Child had done it, and as the pale male sat down and crossed his legs casually Nine came to do so as well. The screen was a bit close, making him have to crane his head up to see it properly, but he was piecing together what they were doing.

"So… So we're going to be looking at a projection?" He asked curiously and the other seemed surprised, "You've seen one before?" Nine shook his head quickly, "Oh, no, I haven't." He didn't count the twins in this situation and explained further, "It's weird. I think I might have gotten some memories from Father. Sometimes I know what things are even when I haven't seen them before." He didn't know if the look Child was giving him was of suspicion or admiration, but either way he found himself having to look away.

It wasn't that the other was staring, it was just something that he couldn't explain. He felt slightly vulnerable in the other's gaze and tried to direct it to anywhere else. "The projector is actually in a window back there." He pointed somewhere behind the seat, but Nine was beginning to hear footsteps leading in and didn't feel safe looking back to see. Instead they just sat there as humans started to file in. Thankfully nobody seemed eager to sit in the front row, perhaps because of the neck craning, and Nine was relieved to know that they wouldn't be seen.

The lights suddenly dimmed and for a second Nine's pulse raised until he realized that this was purposeful, and after a few minutes the projection first came out. Nine was entranced even though the film hadn't even yet began and Child was amused, watching Nine still, finding him more interesting than the film. His pulse was thumping in his chest and he realized that perhaps he was even more eager than Nine was. The film actually began to start with credits and mere words, but Nine still watched with the same interest, and when the film officially began he was in for a delightful surprise.

It started with the life of a young human who appeared to be female, distressed about a cruel woman living nearby. Nine grasped the story quickly and found a small smile of amusement cross his face as he began to compare the woman to One. It was the first time he had reflected on the others without feeling that horrible guilt; maybe because he had the outside source of the film to entertain him. Yet then something happened that Nine wasn't expecting in the slightest. Suddenly the girl, with a longing look in her eyes, opened her lips and spilled a beautiful song from them.

Yet he immediately recognized it and he knew from the first lines that it was the song from the phonograph. That beautiful yet somber song that had signaled one of the worst moments of his life. This couldn't be irony; he looked to Child with his own look of alarm in suspicion, to which Child returned in confusion, "Something the matter?" He whispered to which Nine pointed out, "This song. I've heard it before." He pointed out to which Child shrugged, "I suppose you have. The film is very popular, even as a musical, and this song is spreading like the plague."

The zippered male didn't know whether to believe him or not, but he guessed that the explanation was probably sound and let it die. Though the song was casting his mood into a downward slope. He glanced over to Child with that saddened look and the male raised an eyebrow. Nine silently wrapped his fingers on the floor before offering his hand. He wasn't exactly sure if Child would be willing, but he sort of hoped that he would be as willing as Five would be. Surprisingly the pale male slowly reached and took the other's hand with his own.

Nine gave a small, friendly squeeze. Child returned it with a reassuring squeeze. The song soon ended and the second it did Nine expected Child to pull back, but he didn't, he continued to hold his hand in reassurance. Even after the girl touched the world beyond the rainbow, even when colors melted onto the screen, their hands were locked, and Nine didn't even realize it. It was only halfway through that he even felt Child give another squeeze, when the girl was facing the wicked witch, who also reminded Nine of a female One.

The movie continued on and eventually ended with a few humans in the back of the room clapping. Nine only pulled from Child's hands to do so as well, in his joy at seeing the film. Unfortunately Child and him were forced to wait until after the humans left before they could leave as well, and unfortunately a few decided to stay past the ending credits. "That was amazing." Nine murmured to Child with a smile, "I doubt a place exists like that really, but for them to be able to show it to us like this…" He was in pure awe as he looked at the fading words on the screen.

"Would you go back?" Nine asked curiously and Child pondered this, "I… I am not sure." Nine's pleased look changed to confusion; Child looked surprisingly meek in this moment. He finally added in, "Perhaps I would if I had something to go back to." For a split second Nine's mind darted to the departed, but he pulled it back and smiled, "That makes sense. I guess it depend on what's more important." He paused briefly before finishing with, "Our responsibilities towards others or our own desires, but then again there must be a middle ground."

"Unfortunately that's not always the case." Child recited, returning to normal and preparing to announce his opinions. "Like with Dorothy; she could do one of two things. She could return home to where her family is or stay in this new world. You give the case for why she should go back." Nine blinked in confusion, "Why me?" Child answered quickly, "The way you worded it suggests that you see her returning home as the necessary action. I plan to prove you wrong. Go ahead." Nine accepted the challenge, "Alright, well let's start with her family. They love her and would miss her."

"Yes, but those goons of hers would miss her to, and there is no doubt that they love her." The zippered male paused before adding in, "But she has responsibilities, like I said. Everything she did at home, her previous chores and jobs, are now not going to be done. Her family will have to do all of her work without her." Child retorted, "They already have hired hands." Finally Nine presented, "Alright, but who's to say that Dorothy should have ever been in Oz? Sure, the witches were evil, but maybe she accidently stopped something that was supposed to happen. Maybe she ruined something."

Child went silent, "You mean the theory of existing where one shouldn't exist?" Nine nodded, "Like… A different time, maybe? How don't we know that she just went so far in the future that humans no longer exist and instead there are witches, wizards, and scarecrows?" He suggested and Child murmured, "Very insightful of you, Nine… Unfortunately you disproved your own middle ground theory. Because of that, Dorothy will either have to pass the barrier or not."

Nine paused, realizing, and changed the subject, "This might not be the best example." He gestured towards the screen, "I mean… Let's like use us for example. If you could go somewhere else would you come back? Would you return to where you are needed or self-indulge and stay in the other world?" He asked. It took a few seconds before Child answered, somewhat solemnly, "That only depends on how much one would want to achieve happiness." Nine paused before softly asking, "You can't achieve happiness here?"

Child pushed back his hood and rubbed his head tiredly before honestly remarking, "Happiness is fickle. Everyone thinks they know what they want, but never really knows…" He then added in, "But if you are asking if I am happy, no. I'm not very happy now." At this, Nine felt somewhat bad about asking, but even more alarmed as he realized that confident and intelligent Child was actually unhappy. They paused for a moment before Nine admitted, "I wasn't very happy where I came for either."

As though trying to show that he understood. Child simply responded with, "You weren't happy where you were and I am not happy where I am, but there isn't a middle ground." A few seconds passed, then Nine abruptly spoke, "Yes there is. For the last hour or two we have been in that middle ground. There is a way to be happy." The pale male raised his eyebrow, "So we just sit here and watch films together?" He suggested and Nine smiled before remarking, "We'll find something to occupy out time. For now, come on, let's head back home."

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><p><strong>Mable:… Just realized the ending sort of dropped off too and I don't really have the time to fix it… Well, there's two things I'm sorry for! Anyway, I hope everyone still enjoyed!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Mable: Here's chapter seven! At least I got this one posted in time. ^-^ I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Seven_

It was a usual morning like all of the ones before until this had occurred. Child and Nine were busy with their own devices, something felt awkward after last night and Nine decided to let Child read silently while he went to explore the house. Child seemed to trust him, but had instructed him to, "Stay hidden and stay safe." Nine planned to do both as he headed down to the first floor to listen in on a conversation between the Scientist and some other male. He sat down on the stairs and listened half-heartedly to the conversation until the other human had said something interesting.

"If they won't let you in, they might still let me in." The burlap one raised a brow and the Scientist spoke, "I'm not sure about that. They haven't been willing to let anyone back with him. They probably think that someone will try to compromise the B.R.A.I.N." The other voice was curious, "Is there?" The male shook his head, "Not likely. As long as the generator feeds him, he will be able to take care of himself, and this means it would react in self-defense." The other Scientist, much younger, insisted, "Maybe it'll recognize me. I've spent time with it, I've played chess with it."

"I won't tell you to do it." The Scientist insisted, but his voice was desperate, "But if you can get in remember that B.R.A.I.N. is intelligent and can understand what you say. Please tell him I am sorry for what I have brought it into." Nine listened to the scene with some curiosity of his own, _"He's planning to go see the Machine?" _He asked himself as he listened closer, but the room had gone silent for a few seconds, and it this split second he knew that he had a chance. If this other Scientist was going to see the Machine then he could as well.

He didn't know what he would do. Whether or not he could talk to it as the Scientist suggested, if he could do something to the generator, or his highest belief that he could leave something behind that he would be able to see in the future that would alert him not to put the Talisman in the Machine. He hadn't wanted to change the future, but that part he didn't mind changing. If he could erase his own actions he would be content and would be able to return home. Yet as he pondered this he abruptly realized that he didn't have time to waste. This visit could very well be what caused the Machine to change.

There wasn't time to tell Child and instead he headed down into the basement. Running along the edge towards the window he was able to climb out on the street. He quickly decided that the new car before the Scientist's home was the other humans and hid underneath it to wait for the human to come out and climb in, which would give him access inside and to the Factory. This was a risk, he knew it, but Nine had been having this nagging feeling throughout his time here. Like he was wasting an obvious opportunity and if he could just get answers now he would be content for later.

He waited underneath the car for about twenty minutes before the other human exited the house and went to climb into the vehicle. Thankfully he wasn't in a rush so Nine was able to climb in beside the seat and squeeze into the back. The male had a slew of folders and cardboard boxes in the back, as though he had been doing research or was moving the papers from somewhere. This gave him more ways to hide and as the door was shut and the car turned on he was taken aback by the trembling of the vehicle.

It felt strange and he lost his balance as it began to move and collapsed against the cardboard box for a second. Thankfully he was able to soon straighten himself and got used to the movement. The ride didn't take too long and as he looked through the high window at the tops of the passing buildings he realized that he wasn't going to be able to remember how to walk back. _"I'll have to make sure to get back in before he leaves. Then he'll drive me back home so that he can tell Father-…" _His thoughts cut off as he realized what he had just thought.

"_I just… I thought of the First Room- Of Father's Workshop- I thought of it as home…" _He couldn't understand why he had even believed this for a second. As he mulled it over he realized quickly that maybe he was right; he didn't know if he was ever returning back to Seven and the twins and the Scientist's workshop had taken as a home. He didn't know if that made Child and he housemates, but it didn't actually feel like it. He didn't feel like he was just sharing Child's home anymore, nor did he feel like a brother as Five has been, he was just unsure of what it was.

As they passed through the wall and out into the surrounding warzone Nine was suddenly struck by how barren it was in the immediate area that he could see outside the window. Already the Machine's influence had spread to this area and he felt a firm shiver in his back as the car pulled to a gate. Nine had to drop behind a box as the human spoke to a guard at the gate. He didn't hear all of it, but what he did hear was, "No unauthorized personnel past this point."

The male insisted, "I am Dr. Leveque. I worked back with Dr. Bergeron on the creation of the B.R.A.I.N. I was hoping I could go in and see progress." The Guard turned him down, "The Chancellor has denied all access to the Machine unless they are currently working on it." The human male insisted, but made no leeway, and Nine listened in frustration. It seemed like he had come all this way for nothing. Eventually the Guard threatened prosecution and the human male turned his car around and started driving back into the city.

When the car soon came to a stop Nine braced himself to climb out of the car until the door opened to reveal an unfamiliar building. It was large with a few floors, filled with humans wandering around, and resembled some sort of Science facility. The Stitchpunk was in no position to climb out and the door was shut as the male climbed out and wandered off. For a while Nine just sat there waiting for the other male to return. Eventually he did, after about an hour, but Nine was alarmed when he came to open the back door instead.

The Stitchpunk crawled under the seat and watched as the box he had been hiding behind was plucked off of the floor and carried out before the door was shut. Another period of waiting occurred, but this one took much longer. As the minutes ticked into a few hours Nine became antsy and hot from lack of circulating air. The heat eventually made him sluggish and tired, after the first hour he napped for a few more. It was some time in the afternoon when the male returned and climbed back into his car. It immediately woke Nine who was thrilled.

"_That's it. He's got to take me home. If he doesn't… I'm just going to have to get out when he stops again." _his mind was made and he waited for his opportunity. It wasn't more than a few minutes of driving before the car stopped, thankfully beside a quiet row of houses that resembled the Scientist's home somewhat. The second the door opened he snuck out and slipped underneath the car near the ground, waiting to see if he was caught. Thankfully he wasn't as the human male was gathering some folders from the passenger seat.

He stood from his car, shut the door, and approached the house that he was seated in the driveway of. It wasn't as large as the ones around it, but it had a nice white fence and a slew of child toys strewn through the yard. While the Stitchpunk would usually be curious he was much less than so at this moment. He wanted to get home; he was tired and frustrated from so much time cramped into a small area. The freedom felt better, but he soon noticed something. _"They look like Father's houses, but this can't be the same road."_

Indeed, one side was filled with large homes like his father's, but as the street progressed the homes grew into smaller homes, like the one he was at now, and at the end of the street was a fenced in area filled with nature. He was curious of it and wondered if it was worth going over. He thought against it though and crept onto the sidewalk, scuttling down towards the larger houses that he decided looked like they would lead to the Scientist's. It was disorienting, but most of all dangerous.

Halfway down the street he noticed there were a couple of humans crowded nearby in a doorway, talking loudly as they greeted each other with laughter and smiles, and had to take a narrow ally through two buildings. This time it wasn't a human sized alley, it was a Stitchpunk sized alley, only opening to a bigger area in an opening in the back where a door led inside a building. There was no other way to exit the alley except for past a large, furry creature that almost resembled a Cat, hooked to a chain and eating out of a tin bowl.

So Nine went back to the street where the humans disappeared inside. Minutes ticked by as he made it to the end of the street and looked down the next. Once again he was unable to see the Scientist's home and now he was actually becoming a bit worried. Then there came an hour of chaos. At one point suddenly the cars and humans doubled everywhere and the zippered male was stuck hiding behind a potted plant set beside some steps. The building it was beside was called a 'café'. Nine didn't know what it meant, but a lot of humans were going in and out.

He tried to keep time and supposed that maybe another hour passed while he waited behind and then circled around the café. The next street was one of shops and stores that Nine couldn't recognize, wishing he would have seen more of the Emptiness when he had a chance with Five. Perhaps another hour of hiding and staring into shop windows at well stitched clothes and boxes that played music when opened. His curiosity was greatly numbed by his ordeal. Past this street was one that rode upon the wall and he followed this a short ways.

Finally sometime later Nine came upon a ladder that led up the side of a building. It was risky, but he knew this was a chance. "Maybe I can see something from the top." He suggested to himself and, with that, began to climb. The ladder was too big for him to properly climb and he repeatedly feared that he would fall, but at the first metal grate of a landing he caught sight of something hopeful. Standing through the buildings was the Cathedral's tall tower and relief filled him. "The Cathedral! If I can get there I can find a way home!"

A much easier task, a much longer one. It was sunset soon afterward and as he arrived at the Cathedral, which he then followed the way back to the Scientist's home. It was growing twilight when he snuck into the basement, nearly dark as he climbed the stairs, and he stumbled into the Workshop with tiredness and relief. Pet rushed to him with a greeting 'squeak' and Nine stroked his head, "Hey, Pet!" He greeted before looking over to see Child nearby. Apparently the Stitchpunk had moved some papers on the floor and Nine guessed the Scientist was letting him look at his research. "Hey!"

"Nine." Child greeted, staring at the papers and Nine tilted his head, "Are you upset?" Child murmured, "No, I'm not upset." He answered and Nine started to head for the bed until Child suddenly spun around, face contorted in anger, "I'm mad as hell! That's what I am!" Nine blinked in surprise as Child bounded over, getting very close, "Where were you all after- all _day_?!" The zippered male was a little surprised by his accusing tone and sputtered "I-What- Why are you mad at me?! I just got stuck out in the middle of the city after Father's friend abandoned me!"

"He saw you?!" Child asked in alarm to which Nine denied, "No, no. He was going to see the Machine and-." Before he could finish Child cross his arms and started back over towards the papers, "Ah, the Machine, _him, _I had a feeling that you would be looking for him." Nine just watched as Child stared at the papers on the floor and felt slightly frightened. He didn't like that accusing tone because he already had a feeling he knew where this was going. Finally Child turned back and pointed towards him, "You know, I took this time while you were gone to look around a bit."

He gestured to the papers, "And I found it a bit strange that Father drew so many sketches and wrote so many notes on myself during creation and yet I couldn't find a single one on you. Not a shred of birthright, so I decided to ask him." Nine slowly stumbled back towards the bed behind him, "You… You told Father?" Child's optics slightly narrowed, suspicion filling his face, "I asked a few questions and realized quickly that, as far as he's concerned, you don't even exist. So then how were you created?... Then I remembered _him._"

His tone was deathly bitter and Nine shook his head pitifully. "Now you're going to see him. Nine, I am not a fool." He was angry and hurt, "After all I have for you! I brought you in, I showed you what I had, I gave you what I could, and it was all a _lie!" _ His anger rose and he was panting from the yelling, but suddenly straightened as Nine spoke. "Child, you're wrong! I am a creation of the Scientist, not the Machine! I would never side with the Machine!" But there was no belief in his eyes.

Child didn't believe him in the slightest and he continued to glare, "I want you gone, Nine. Tonight you can stay here, I'll stay with Father, and then you can run along to your Creator in the morning. You can tell him all you've seen." Nine's face contorted with hurt. He felt like he was being abandoned and as Child started towards the door he became desperate. "Child, don't go." He pleaded, "I can explain." Child turned to him quickly, "Oh?" Against Nine's better judgment he felt himself waver and then announce.

"Child, I'm from the future."

Child flat look of disbelief obviously meant that he didn't believe Nine. "Goodnight, Nine." Yet Nine wasn't done, running after the pale male and grabbing his arm, "No, Child, you have to listen to me!" The albino looked to him and for a second he recognized his gaze once again. He wasn't sure whether or not who the gaze reminded him of. He didn't know if it was One's gaze or Five's, perhaps even his father's, but it was familiar and Nine felt the desperation overtake. He pleaded with the other one, "Just let me explain and then if you don't believe me I'll leave tonight."

Child wanted to believe Nine. He sounded honest and certain, but the story was outlandish. The other male's hand slid down to his hand and clutched it desperately like it had in the film theater. Nine was scared yet held that same warmth that he had become familiar with in the past few days together. "Fine." He spat, "You have two minutes to finish your tale, literal tale, and then I'm leaving." He announced and the zippered male let out an exhale of relief before assuring, "Alright, thank you… First of all, Father doesn't recognize me because he hasn't created me yet."

"I assumed as much." Child remarked in a rather patronizing tone as Nine began to somewhat stumble around in circles, "I was born after the war between the Humans and… And The Machine. The Machine is going to turn against the humans soon." This caused Child's face to twist in shock, "What?" But Nine continued without giving him time to ask more, "There were other Stitchpunk when I was created… But I made a horrible mistake…"

He straightened to complete seriousness, "I lost my best friend to the Machine. That's why I had that nightmare the other night, because I was remembering them, remembering what the Machine did to us." There was a small pause before Child muttered, "I knew it." Anger was laced in his voice and Nine looked back to him ready to defend himself, "Child, wait-." Yet before he could Child spoke again, "I knew that was coming. I have been saying it since the Machine's birth; I knew the Machine was going to turn against its 'gracious hosts' eventually."

He was angry at the Machine, not Nine, and yet perhaps not completely convinced that Nine was from the future yet. "So, pray tell, how did you spontaneously fall through time?" The zippered male exhaled; here came the difficult part to explain to the other male, "I, ah, I hit my head and appeared here." Child scoffed a bit, "Not quite as charming as Alice's trip down the rabbit hole, yet equally strange." He still wasn't completely convinced, obviously, but at least he was curious towards whatever Nine was saying.

"Yet you know little about the world? You've been living amongst the humans this long and yet you know little about them?" He sat down on the bed now and Nine came over to sit down beside him with a tired exhale, "The Machine used some sort of gas during the war and killed all of the humans. The buildings are destroyed, it's all… Emptiness outside of the Sanctuary. You know?" He looked to Child who was just staring at the floor. "Child?" For a few seconds the other didn't respond before suddenly standing and beginning to pace slowly, not speaking for a few seconds.

Eventually he stopped and looked back at Nine, pausing for a second. "You…" He started before stopping and beginning to pace once again, "You are surprisingly convincing…" He murmured, "You sound very certain." The zippered male looked down into his lap, "I am… But I wish I wasn't…" He admitted and the pale male looked to him in confusion as Nine looked up at him, "Child… There's something else I should tell you, but I don't even know what it means. I can't… I can't change time, but…" Child coaxed, "Nine, what is it?" He understood now that Nine was afraid and now he knew what of.

Nine felt his voice crack, "I only met you here, in the past… You're not in the future." He looked to Child and the alarm returned, but that wasn't all. Suddenly Nine saw true fear coming through and it suddenly brought him back to the fear the others had felt. Suddenly the choking came back; he knew what was coming, such as after the nightmare, and gave in fully as he began to lightly, dry sob. His head fell into his hand and he murmured, "Everyone I get close to dies! Five died, Two died, and now- Now it's only a matter of time until something takes you away too!"

He just let himself weep pitifully and Child stood nearby staring. There was no point in hiding his disturbance as he took in the information. Soon there would be a War, the Machine would attack, and he would be a casualty. He looked to Nine and watched him release the pent up stress and felt guilty. He had accused Nine of working with the monster that hurt him. Really Child knew that the story was still unrealistic, and yet he believed Nine, he spoke with a clear honesty and emotion that the Machine would be clearly unable to recreate.

Slowly he stepped forward, "Nine, I believe you, just don't do that." He insisted, but Nine made a weird hand gesture of dismissal, as though trying to tell Child to just let him cry, or saying he was inconsolable. Yet Child couldn't accept this; he couldn't stand hearing Nine weep, even if he was doing it to release pint up stress. He approached the male and kneeled before him. Nine noticed the gesture, but was actually growing a little embarrassed and felt unable to look at the other. After all, he was somewhat crying over him. He wasn't ready to lose someone else.

Child reached out and took his hand in that same affection and reassurance. Nine looked down at it, staring at it for a second before looking at Nine, looking him in the optics with that same sadness. Yet there was the slowly growing hope that Child was going to say something that would make him better. Instead Child took a risk and reached out to brush the other male's cheek with his hand, relishing in the warm, tan burlap. Nine couldn't help but gasp at it. Nobody had touched him like that before, had made him feel like that before.

Yet it all took a shocking turn as Child came closer. Nine thought he was going to press their foreheads together, yet the other male's mouth paused right beside his, he could feel the albino's breath on his lips. It was an awkward position but Nine didn't budge even an inch. Then, suddenly, Child pressed his mouth against Nine's in a tender gesture. It was an alarming and confusing. Nine didn't understand what Child was doing, but the soft tingling on his lips felt surprisingly comforting. Child pulled back too quickly before Nine could ever figure out what it was like.

Now they just stared at each other. Both filled with surprise at the previous action. "What was that?" Nine asked, surprised, and Child answered, "That was because I care for you and because I trust you." He then willed to lean forward and pressed his head to Nine's, "Don't cry anymore, Poppet." Nine then realized that he had stopped, but he was still somewhat distraught, "I know, I'm sorry. I just… I'm just scared. I'm just overwhelmed." Child shushed him in a compassionate way, "That's okay. That's understandable."

"But you believe me?" Nine asked hopefully and Child nodded honestly. "Thank you…" Nine leaned forward to embrace Child, "I just, I need someone now, and you're the only one I have." For a second Child swore he felt a fluttering in his chest that was unlike any he had felt before. His hand rested on Nine's thigh as he exhaled, "Well… We're not going to get anywhere with this tonight. You're sad, I'm in a state of suspended disbelief, we should get some rest."

"Are you sure?" Nine asked in confusion, "It's a little early and I just told you…" Then he stopped; Child just heard about the future being destroyed, he probably needed the rest to calm himself down. Because of this he suddenly insisted, "Sure, alright." He rolled into bed and beckoned Child in. The pale male pulled his hood off and tossed it somewhere before climbing in beside him. He wrapped his arms around Nine's form and pulled his head under the crook of his neck. He held Nine close, desperately close, and Nine pleaded, "Just… Just don't leave me."

"I won't, Nine, I won't leave you, and I promise that the Machine will never touch you again… No matter what the cost."

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><p><strong>Mable: Maybe I rushed into a kiss… But I had to do it! The temptation was too great! XD Anyway, the next post will be in a few days as usual, I hope everyone enjoyed!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Mable: Brace yourself for what be the most rushed thing I've ever written… Well, at least putting it off that extra day helped a little bit, so I'm not completely disappointed. Anyway, I don't own 9, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Eight_

"Tell me about them." Nine didn't know how long he had been asleep at this point but was groggy as he awoke. It was still pitch dark so he assumed only a few minutes. "What?" Nine asked and Child repeated, his voice surprisingly dry, as though he was worried about something. "Tell me about the others. The victims of the Machine." Perhaps he had a nightmare or something and Nine rolled over to embrace the other male. He didn't feel any shame in it and murmured, "Alright… Umm…" he mulled it over before he began to explain the situation.

"One's the Leader. He's sort of stubborn and… Sort of angry at, well, everything, but he was still a good guy. He saved me sacrificing himself so everything else he did for me… I can't really continue blaming him." Child nodded against him and silently waited as Nine continued, "Then there's Two. Two's like Father, a lot like Father. He's kind and intelligent, loves to build and work, he was my first friend. He saved me from the Emptiness. He fixed my voice box when I couldn't speak." He inhaled shakily and paused, "Sorry, I… We lost Two early on."

"I see…" Child responded in an oddly probing way and Nine nodded, "Yeah… Well, anyway." He tried to push onwards, "Five is… Was… My best friend." Nine admitted softly, "He healed me, he helped me, he believed in me… But I took it all for granted and now he's gone. I loved him, Child." Child suddenly interrupted, "You loved him?" To which Nine nodded, "I… I did. He was my brother. I loved him more than I ever knew." Now Child eased a bit at the comment, getting a better understanding and, prodding, but Nine was still unsure. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Poppet. Just a little longer and you can go back to sleep." This meant he wanted more and Nine continued into the net of the lost. After all he feared that he would begin crying and didn't want to anymore. Instead he straightened himself and continued, "Then there's Six. Six is a little different, but he sees things that we don't. Things that have yet to come." Child murmured, "It's called precognition." This triggered the zippered male to perk in interest, but he was tired, groggy, he wanted to finish quickly and yawned once again.

"Then there's Eight. He's One's guard, he doesn't like me, but I don't really blame him. I did a lot of foolish things and I hurt a lot of people, but those… Those are the ones that I let the Machine hurt the most." His voice was fading out and he nuzzled into the pillow beneath them, tiredly, "I'll tell you more in the morning." He insisted, but Child stayed silent, oddly silent. Eventually Nine caught on and asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine…" Child insisted and followed quickly with, "Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you and I thank you for telling me." His sudden formality was somewhat odd, but Nine didn't pry. Instead he wearily pressed into the other male's fabric and waited for exhaustion to take over, which it soon did.

The warmth was missing from the bed; perhaps that was what woke Nine. He sat up tiredly and looked over to the other side of the bed. "Child?" He asked to see if he was nearby. There was no answer and he called again, "Child?" This time a little louder across the Workshop. There was a single candle lit nearby that casted a low glow over the room and basked it in a delightful warmth. Yet Nine was feeling slightly colder now that the other male was out of the bed. He laid there for a moment and studied his surroundings.

It was still dark out and from how he felt, and how early they had slept, he assumed it was the middle of the night. This meant it was odd that the other was awake and he contemplated their delicate relationship. Child and he had definitely took a turn last night and yet he wasn't sure what kind. Though he did notice quickly that it felt less like one he had with Five and more like the one he had with Seven. After everything he hadn't really believed that he would feel that way again. He knew that they were stuck destined to be a couple, but that was where it fizzled out.

When he realized that he had pined for someone who was only going to be with him because she had no choice. Everything between them had changed just as rapidly as what had occurred between he and Child, yet both were on opposite sides of the spectrum. He was finally willing to admit that he was pining for Child, but unlike with Seven he was starting to have the feeling that it was returned. The other male hadn't treated him last night like just a friend and that made Nine's feelings only grow stronger and more confusing.

So maybe there was a small chance that, while being another male and partially infuriating at times, Nine wanted Child in a romantic way. He wanted those touches more than ever now that he had felt them. Though as he made this discovery he became only more concerned with child's abrupt absence, "_Where is he?" _He thought to himself as he scanned the room, "Pet!" He called out, but received no response; he was gone too. The zippered male sat upwards and started to climb out of bed only to have his hand land on something that gave a crinkling noise.

A small, folded piece of paper was resting on the bed and Nine blinked before lifting it. He also mentally noted that this was the last place that Child's hood had been which was now missing as well. On the paper was a clear '9' signed with black ink and he unfolded it to read the writings. _"Nine, my Poppet," _Immediately Nine felt his face grow warm. He was suddenly seeing that term in a different light than before and it partially made him embarrassed. A small smile formed that was destined to fall shortly later.

"_I have been considering the options and have realized that not only do I believe you, fully, but that I cannot let this happen. Ever since you appeared into my life you have given me a desire to actually live, not just exist, and I can't bear the thought of what's coming. I cannot let you go through the pain that will be coming once again. I'm sure you realize this." _

Nine's smile plummeted, but dread grew inside.

"_We will find a way for Father to complete our other siblings later on, but for now I have left to face the monster in the shadows. He is waiting for me; he has taken everything and yet he prepares to take more. I have been waiting for the will to fight and the time has come." _

Nine shook his head a little, "This can't- No…" Child finished the letter.

"_I'm going to confront the Machine and I am going to live. I am going to live just to come home to you. Nine, perhaps this is early, but I have no doubt that I love you. Everything, every little detail, everything you were made to be is perfection. Everything you are is what I strive to find in life. I can't risk losing you." _

The letter abruptly ended and Nine stared at it for a second. While Child's love confession clearly stood out, all he could think about Child facing the Fabrication Machine, alone, when he knew there was a chance that Child was going to be wiped from existence like the others. It suddenly dawned on Nine that this was it; this is what happened to Child. Child was the first to face the Machine and was the first to die. He couldn't let it happen, whether or not it affected the future didn't matter to him anymore.

He leapt out of bed and ran to the door, peeling down the steps and into the first floor. The entire house was quiet, eerily so, and all of the doors were shut except for the ones that led him into the basement. He crossed outside where the night took a further turn of disturbance. Not a single car lit the street, all of the lights were dead; it was almost as though he was in the Emptiness again. As he wandered through the streets in the direction of the factory he was finding something strange occurring.

It was as though everything was suddenly familiar. Even the wall that had been crumbled, that they had climbed over to get to the Factory in his time, had an open archway in it. Yet Nine didn't know if that archway was there before or not, but for some reason he thought it wasn't. It was as though the world was changing around him and adjusting to something he didn't remember, but he suspected that maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. A fog of darkness was hanging over his shoulders and followed as he headed down the road to the factory.

He crossed at the bridge that was now in direct sight of the factory which was the only thing alit in the dark night. The front doors were wide open as though waiting for him to enter, or for someone to leave, and as he crossed through inside he could only stare at the factory at its finest. More machines than he ever expected hung above him. Not just walkers, but smaller tripods with large guns, Beast resembling ones that didn't fully resemble Beasts yet and only held their four legs. The only thing missing were canisters filled with poison; not yet created.

When he appeared in the Machine's chamber he was immediately surprised. All of the rubble on the ground, the remnants of parts and flags, were missing and left the factory looking much emptier. He stood in the opening staring at a large, empty chamber; lit by a warm furnace and the only noise being a repetitive clanging noise coming from somewhere. The heat was sharp and made him feel a little dizzy as he dropped inside. He stayed quiet as he inched towards the noises. More clanging, loud noises echoing, and soon his optics caught a behemoth.

It didn't look much different. The Machine lingered in the empty chamber staring at something that Nine couldn't see. The zippered male felt dread, but knew that he had to find Child, and he had a feeling that noise was coming from Child's location, wherever it was. As he came closer to the Machine he came closer to the sound echoing through. It wasn't terribly long until he was able to see the other male, following the Machine's gaze to do so. "Child!" He called out alarm as he saw what the albino male was doing.

He stood upon an electrical cord that was thick and multi-colored and brought his blade down upon it harshly, repeatedly, slicing through it as sparks of electricity danced around him in protest. Nine followed the cord and was alarmed to see that it was attached to the back of the Machine. Suddenly he remembered something the Scientist said about the Machine needing electricity and cried out, "Child, stop!" The albino stopped his final blow before it could hit the cords, but Nine wasn't a fool; the cords were half sliced through and the deed was only partially done.

Child quickly dropped back down and hurried over to him, caring little for the Machine that silently followed him with its gaze. "Nine, what are you doing here?" Child asked quickly and Nine retorted, "Me? What about you! You're… You're destroying the Machine?!" The pale male paused before responding simply, gaze simply averting, and nonchalantly responding, "You must have missed my letter. After last night I decided to take matters into my own hands-…"

"I saw your letter." Nine quietly interrupted and Child looked to him abruptly, "You did?" A small pause of silence. "I should have assumed… Being that you are here. And?" He pried to which Nine began to speak, "Child, in this short time with you I… I've realized that I feel strongly for you. I don't know how, I'm not sure about anything anymore, but I…" He paused before admitting, "I'm not going back to the future. I know that now…. But I can't let you destroy the Machine." He looked over at the large, metal monster that frightened him so and found himself abruptly shaken.

It stared at him with an absent look. There was no feeling beyond that optic. No focus, it watched without understanding, it learned without really knowing. He was almost taken aback by how it acted more like a Chancellor Drone Beast than the Fabrication Machine he warred against for so long. "Because I can't let the future change… So many people are hurt, but I can't- I don't have the right to change what happened to me, or the humans, or the others. Maybe this happened for a reason and… We can't have this power."

Child stared at him silently before speaking, "And as for us?" He asked quietly, blankly, and Nine reached forward to take his hands, "For us-." At this time the Machine suddenly let out a loud groaning noise and Nine gasped in horror while Child shielded him from the front, the two backing away somewhat. The B.R.A.I.N.'s optic flickered, it seized, and it collapsed to the factory floor. Its optic died and it laid there silently. It felt like only a second and they just watched as the Machine that had caused them so much strife laid to rest.

Though Nine noted that he still had his memories and was somewhat confused. _"It comes back when it's awoken again by a human." _He decided, _"That's fine. I just…" _He turned Child towards him by the shoulders. "Child, you said you- You said you loved me." He pointed out desperately and Child seemed a bit surprised by his boldness, "You meant it, right? You meant that you wanted to be with me?" The pale male stared at him before nodding, "Yes, Nine. I love you. I don't want to lose you now. I can't lose you. You are my everything."

"Then come with me. Away. Far away." He insisted, squeezing his shoulders, "We'll… We'll avoid the war. We'll _survive _the war. Together, but we have to leave tonight, and we can't leave any regrets." There was a silence between them except for a light creaking noise from the Machine. "I want that." Child insisted, "That's all I want, Poppet, but can we just leave everything?" At this Nine insisted, "We have no other choice." With that he leaned closer and pressed his forehead against the other's.

Then, suddenly, Child was thrust forward and collapsed into Nine's arms. The abrupt movement took Nine off balance and he stumbled back with the pale male laying on him before realizing what had happened. Something large and metal, like a plug, was stabbed into Child's back, past the fabric, into him. Nine gasped and looked along the cord. Like with the Machine's power cord he followed it along and almost the same way it locked into the Machine. Yet he was confused to see that the optic of the Machine was open wide, the cord connected deep within.

Child started to straighten himself a bit, coughing horribly, and Nine tried to reach behind him to rip the cord out, but he couldn't. The second that the male straightened something began to pour through his fabric, hot and boiling, black like oil. Nine stared in horror and tried to do something, but he was stuck. His body wouldn't move for some reason and Child stumbled back, yanked by the cord, crying out. "Nine!" He called out in desperation, "Nine, make it stop!" He commanded, oil leaking out through his fabric, burning it away. "Creator, it's _burning _me!"

Another tug and a crackling noise broke through his voice box. His voice thus began to melt away with his fabric which fell apart, crackling as he finished his calls with, "Father! _F-ather! F-th-r!" _Nine finally was able to stumble forward, his feet seeming to stick to the floor beneath him. "Child!" He cried out in dread and the albino finally looked up at him. His body twitched and he straightened slightly before staring at the zippered male, his optics changing after an abrupt jolt from the Fabrication Machine behind him.

Child's optics overtook in the crimson of a Machine's and stared at Nine who could only stare back frozen. Again the piercing gaze had overtook him. The red optics staring into him, filled with horror and surprise, looking into his soul.

Then, suddenly, Child was dragged back towards the Machine in a rapid pace. He attempted to stop himself by scraping at the ground beneath him, but the slick oil made it fruitless in his endeavor. Thankfully Nine was able to pull from entrancement and run forward, grabbing onto Child's hands before his disappeared into the gaping hole. Burning oil spilled along his body and submerged Nine's hands, but he didn't fell it. "Child, no!" He called out as though his words could do anything and watched as Child struggled with him, trying to pull free.

The cord hooked to his back wouldn't release and gave another sharp tug as Nine felt himself dragged along as well. Then Child suddenly was tugged so harshly that their grip slipped. Nine lost his hold and fell to the ground beneath the optic as Child was dragged inside the rest of the way. Only a second or two passed when Nine could see Child struggling as more wires seemed to envelope his body entirely. Yet he seemed to go limp right before the optic lens slammed shut and secured him in. Once that happened Nine could no longer see any sign of him.

The zippered male leapt upwards and again tried desperately to get to him. Now he risked himself clawing at the optic lens to try and get a grip on it so that he could tug it open, but it had sealed like it had never opened before. The Machine began to rise and again Nine dropped to the ground and watched as it came to life before his very eyes. _"How is this…?!" _Nine looked over towards the outlet as the Machine slowly regained its bearings. _"Child destroyed its power supply. That's what knocked it down."_

The Machine now started heading towards the other side of the Factory where Nine noticed a Beast currently being worked on. It looked like one of the large walking ones that Nine had only seen out of commission. _"But now he's awake… Is he getting power from Child?- Creator, the souls!" _He stumbled to his feet and began to dash towards the Machine across the seemingly vast and empty factory, "_It uses the souls to stay alive! That's why it went after the others! I have to get Child out- maybe there's still time since it doesn't have the Talisman- maybe-!"_

He cut off as the Machine twitched visibly and slid to an abrupt halt. It was staring down at its work posed and ready when suddenly it seemed to collapse against it, many hands catching itself before it could do so, and let out an actually pained noise as its body contracted. Nine could only watch in alarm as the Machine struggled with something and, oddly enough, he noticed that it wasn't acting like before. Its lifeless movement was replaced with some that Nine could actually understand. Though he was certain that everything had to feel pain.

Then it straightened itself yet again, staring down at the Beast as static overtook its core angrily. Then, suddenly, it attacked. Using anything on its self that it could use as a weapon, but mostly blunt force, to go at the Beast. The Beast wasn't even finished, let alone activated, so it just stood there as the Machine literally tore it apart. Nine watched in absolute horror before taking a step back. He knew he needed to save Child, but this scene was terrifying him, now he suddenly saw the fury of the Machine.

Eventually the Beast was no more than rubble along the ground and the Machine paused for a second before turning suddenly to face Nine who suddenly realized something even more dreadful that watching the actions. There was something in the Machine's gaze that was familiar; the Machine had the anger and intelligence of the Fabrication Machine where it didn't before. Yet Nine had seen that gaze multiple times when he had been with Child and now that Child was inside the Machine it had it as well.

"_The Chancellor wants it all and the Machine is going to give it to them."_

"_They are buying this propaganda, they are joining this army, and they are to blame."_

"_Have you even considered the fact that they are the reason you and I cannot walk freely on the streets?"_

"_I __**hate**__ them. I __**hate**__ the humans."_

The Machine started to move in as Nine turned and ran, the memories of the conversation haunting him as he pieced together what this meant. He now knew where Child was in the future and he now knew what they had done, what Child had done, and it was nearly too much for him to take.

"_How much of Child is the Fabrication Machine? How much of the Fabrication Machine is Child?"_

Right at this fleeting thought Nine suddenly was struck by one of the Machine's arms. So powerful of a hit that he was thrown perhaps all the way across the factory and landed head first onto the floor. That was, after he partially struck a conveyor belt on the way down, but the head injury was the worst of it. A harsh pain coursed through before numbing as his entire body succumbed to itself. He was still awake, alert, but he couldn't move and as the Machine moved in to loom above him he felt himself give out.

His world went dark and all he could think of was that he was alone again.

…

…

"Nine?"

Nine didn't know what to think when he heard Five again. He opened his optics to see the light shining above him and was confused. He had no idea what was going on as his head rolled to the side to see Five leaned over him once again. "Nine, are you okay?" He asked in immediate concern and Nine groaned before rubbing his head, "Five… What?" The Healer smiled warmly, "You had us worried back there. How are you feeling?" The zippered male blinked a bit before sitting up abruptly, ignoring the pain and spinning in his head.

"Five?!" For a second he thought that he was dead, that he had drifted into the afterlife, but then he actually noticed his surroundings. He was sitting on a makeshift cot that was made on a bed, the light above him being a looming candle set beside the book beside him. He looked around rapidly and sputtered, "I… What… Five?" He asked, "What's going on, where's Child?" He blurted out and Five reach out to touch his shoulder, "Easy, Nine, breath." He instructed and the zippered male began to slowly calm down.

"I guess you don't remember." Five began and Nine blurted out, "The machine- You were-…" Five smiled and explained, "The Machine's gone, Nine, you defeated it." Nine's optics were still begging for answers and he continued, "It was after it got me so I can't give you the details, but when we woke later, Two thinks it was from the rain, we knew what you did. I'm… I'm in debt to you, Nine. You saved me from being trapped in there. Not that I can remember." He pointed out and chuckled a little awkwardly. "So we got the others and came back here, but you were gone."

"I went for a walk…" Nine murmured in memory as he realized what was happening. Five was alive, in front of him, and he suddenly lunged forward to embrace his best friend tightly. Suddenly he was overwhelmed by nothing but joy; the ones he had though he lost were alive and well, waiting for him, and it almost seemed like everything had come together. "I thought I lost you." Nine whispered to Five, "I thought I lost my best friend. I just… I couldn't…"

Five smiled, "We were worried about you." Five admitted as he held his friend, his brother, tighter than before, "We were afraid that you weren't going to wake again." That's when Nine suddenly pulled back and stared at the one eyed male silently, "…What?" Five took his hands and explained, "Nine, you must have fallen or something in the Emptiness and hit your head, but we didn't find you until you had been in the wet for a while… You were cold and… And you started to run a fever."

He seemed truly distressed as he insisted, "You've been… You've been asleep for a long while, and delirious when you've been awake." Suddenly Nine was starting to face the truth and was nearly terrified by it. "I was asleep? Just asleep?! But Child-!" Suddenly his mind went back to Child and the Machine and could only accept the horrifying truth; he had been right in the beginning, he had been unconscious in that ditch. He hadn't gone back in time at all. It didn't seem possible and yet it was the only answer to the situation.

The Healer blinked in confusion, "What child? Do you mean the twins?" He asked, oblivious to the albino Stitchpunk who had become such a big part of Nine's life, who had unknowingly become a big part of all of their lives. All Nine could do was slowly hang his head in sadness.

Nine found himself mourning once again.

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><p><strong>Mable: There shall be one final chapter to wrap this entire thing into finality. That doesn't mean it won't continue into the future or… Huh… I don't know what shall come next… Ah, that's not important! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed!<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Mable: This took WAY too long to finish… But that's okay, because I think I enjoyed having it with me a little longer. This story was supposed to be so much longer and yet I stunted it to nine chapters… Perhaps I will do a sequel, part of me really wants to, but I'm not making any extra plans until I'm entirely certain. ^-^ Anyway, I don't own 9, I do own Child, Enjoy!**

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><p><em><strong>Our Past Mistakes<strong>_

_Chapter Nine_

Nine was in clear denial about everything. While he didn't tell any of the others about his situation he had a feeling that they knew. They had to notice how quiet he was being, perhaps they even heard him crying that first night. He had broken down after the hours had passed and nothing had changed. It was so confusing; he should have been happy that everyone was alive, and he was, but at a price. The memories of Child's fate replayed in his head, but unfortunately because he now knew it was a fever dream he didn't even know if Child was alive or not.

"_Is it possible that I imagined everything?" _He asked himself, dipping his feet into the cool water of the pool and trying to relax some. He had been so tense and even Two remarked on it. The Stitchpunk who just had severe leg surgery was remarking that Nine was tense. _"It would make some sense. I mean, this explains why the humans never saw me, not even once… This explains why towards the end the city was more like the Emptiness than I remembered…" _He promptly shook it off, "_No, it doesn't make sense! How could I create another person?!" _

"Hey." The sudden greeting sent Nine jumping a bit from his position and he turned to look back and see Five standing there beside him. "I didn't hear you come up." Nine excused quickly and Five seemed hesitant, "I know… You haven't been noticing much recently." The zippered male blinked at the odd comment and watched as the one eyed one sat down beside him. "Nine, you haven't been…. Is something wrong? You've been quiet and somber recently." The younger male tried to look like he didn't know what his friend meant, but it was obvious that nobody was going to be oblivious enough to buy it.

"I'm just… I had a dream while I was… You know, and I've been thinking about it a lot." It didn't feel right referring to everything that had happened as a dream. After all he had seen the Scientist, the humans, the world before the war, and now it was dismissed as nothing for nothing. All he had left to show was that he felt old and uncomfortable. The buttoned male was sympathetic, "I know it must be hard. Six has mentioned how bad his nightmares have been, so I can't even imagine how bad it was…"

Nine knew that he was supposed to dismiss that it was a nightmare but instead perked at something else, "Five, you're right!" Suddenly he stood and began to walk in a random direction. "I am?" Five asked in confusion before calling after, "Where are you going?" Nine called back, "I'm going to find Six!" With that he found himself wandering through the Library again aimlessly. "Was that what Six's dreams are like?" He asked himself out loud, unsure with even the thought. "He sees things in his dreams… maybe I did too."

He needed some advice and Six was the last Stitchpunk to think he was either crazy or hallucinating from a fever. The Artist was found nearby, scribbling at a piece of paper as usual and only partially acknowledged when Nine appeared in his little area. "Six?" The zippered male asked slowly before kneeling down beside him. The Artist still stared at his paper, "Nine?" He responded. He was unfocused and still paying more attention to his drawing seemingly, but Nine still spoke, "Six… I know you see things in your dreams, but is it possible to meet people in your dreams?"

Six's mismatched optics flickered over for a second in interest and Nine continued. "Like you see somewhere in your dream and communicate with someone else. Is that possible?" Suddenly the Artist nodded, "It is. I have." While Nine didn't know whether to take all of Six's words as law or not, he still listened, "How can that happen?" The Artist raised his hands from the paper and put his fingers together, "Souls touch, I think, I think they touch." This seemed plausible enough after everything Nine saw with his fellow Stitchpunks' souls being removed. Though it didn't really go with him striking his head.

"Alright…" He paused, waiting for another question to emerge, and Six spoke again, "You spoke to someone?" The zippered male nodded slowly, "I did, while I was unconscious. I just… It felt too real to just have been a dream." The Artist simply nodded, "I know." Of course Six knew and the zippered male tapped his fingers on his knee before asking, "So how can I tell the difference?" Six shrugged a little, "Don't know… You can see if things match? Things in the dream, things in life." He suggested and Nine perked.

Though, to be fair, Nine had already thought of searching around and comparing things to the way in the dream and suddenly he realized that there was one place he could go. He wasn't ready, yet, and instead thanked Six, "Thank you, Six, that… That gives me an idea." He slowly stood before asking, "Have you seen One?" The Artist shrugged a little and the burlap one decided to go off on his own to look. It didn't take too long. As the Sanctuary wasn't rebuilt at this point One spent most of his time at a chessboard that the twins had set up.

Things between One and Nine were still slightly tense. One regretted his actions from the war and yet was conflicted as he wanted to be Leader again. Nine, meanwhile, wasn't caring about being leader in the slightest as he approached the male. "One, I'm looking for some answers and-." The Leader automatically dismissed him, "You won't find any from me. I know nothing about the world anymore." The zippered male rubbed his forehead at the overdramatic outburst and explained. "Please, One, I need to know about when you were first created."

One's interest seemed slightly piqued by the question which was a good sign. Nine asked further, "Do you know if there were any Stitchpunks created before you? Did Father ever mention it, or-." He realized he referred to the Scientist as Father and One paused briefly before answering, "No. I was the first created Stitchpunk. That is why I am 'One'." He pointed out with what Nine guessed was a hidden scoff. Though Nine was desperate, "Are… Are you sure?" The Leader's gaze flickered to him, eyeing him somewhat suspiciously, and he murmured, "You have been acting strange since you've awoken."

Nine didn't really know what to except the other's suspicion as and merely caved in admission. "I just… I had some weird dreams while I was in the fever and I wanted to know if they meant anything." This seemed to buy off One. Maybe he was still feeling emotionally unstable because of the incident as he seemed oddly sympathetic, which was very much unlike what Nine had seen in the past. "I'm certain Two must have informed you that during fevers of that degree it is common to hallucinate. You certainly did. You spent hours rambling on, speaking in tongues."

Nine hid an internal wince that had come from the prolonged realization that his entire adventure with the other male had been no more than dreams of someone delusional. He denied it again and One suddenly added in, "Unless you are referring to the Scientist's earlier designs." Nine perked immediately and One continued explaining, feeling somewhat pleased to be able to have someone seeking knowledge from him. "When I was a newborn the Scientist had multiple pages of prototype Stitchpunk figures. None were finished, of course, but he put much thought into them. They are what eventually became us."

The zippered one's pulse quickened; if he could find just one picture of Child, even as a prototype, he would have his proof that they weren't just dreams and that Six had been right about him seeing something beyond delusion. "Where are these papers? Are they still at the First Room?" Another suspicious look, "I would assume so. Of course, though, someone as intelligent as you would know how foolish it would be to run into the Emptiness when you just recovered from such an event." Nine blinked in surprise for a second.

While it was obviously a possible insult, he actually worded it in a concerned way, One of all Stitchpunks was concerned about him. He couldn't suppress a small smile, "I meant for later reference." This was an obvious lie. He was planning to head to the First Room during the first chance he got, but he didn't want One to know that, and the older male gave a nod of understanding. "Good afternoon, you two!" Nine was somewhat relieved to have Two appear to distract One for him.

Nine acted casual; he greeted Two, he waited until Two and One were talking about chess, and then he casually dismissed himself before circling around to the front of the Library. There was no use in stalling any longer, he had to get to the First Room so that he could see what he had never noticed before.

The First Room was empty, dusty, and left a hollowing feeling in the center of Nine's chest. He didn't feel comfortable being here anymore, but knew that he had to be. "Alright, let's see…" He wandered through before heading to the shelf that Child's bed had been made in and prying it open. However, instead of a bed there was just folded burlap and canvas, and Nine was disappointed. "So there's no bed…" He shook his head and continued to search, looking through the papers on the floor, "One… Five… Wait-… No, that's just Five again, he just doesn't have buttons in this one…"

Nine was starting to get a bit discouraged and exhaled a bit before looking towards the Workbench, "Maybe up there?" He quickly climbed onto it and looked around. There were more books, more trinkets, more papers; it was hard to notice the little things. Nine even looked for the spilled ink blot, but it was missing which, if anything, stacked against him. That's when his optics landed on the radio which he smiled at and rushed over to before suddenly realizing that he could have seen this when he awoke and incorporated this into the dream.

"No…" Nine murmured, "No, it wasn't a dream. There's another explanation, somewhere around here, I just have to keep looking." He soon moved to prying open the smaller drawers and going through them rapidly. That was when he found a secluded folder that was thick with dust and perked at the word written on it. "Automation… Maybe this talks about his first creations!" Nine eagerly dragged it out, watching as it landed against the wooden floor with a puff of dust. The zippered male eagerly opened it to find a sketch of the Fabrication Machine when it was merely the B.R.A.I.N.

He continued to flicker through the papers. A report on the Machine, a sketch of the Machine, a list of needed parts, a notice from the Chancellor, another report on the Machine, and as he started to lose patience he tore through one after another, reciting quick 'no's after each disappointment. He was becoming frustrated, flustered, and didn't understand how this could be. The entire folder was filled with notes and tidbits on the Machine. Not a single mention of Child in anything that he could find. It was infuriating.

"It wasn't just a dream!" He cried out in stubbornness to anyone or anything that would listen. Yet he was met with more silence and in frustration he kicked the folder before turning to seek out the crawlspace now. "_It's as though someone is toying with me. First I lose everyone, then I meet someone who eases the pain, and now everyone's back and he's been taken away! Maybe I shouldn't have even woke up." _The crawlspace was boarded up and blocked by a small set of drawers. By now Nine was starting to lose faith and if his foot hadn't caught something then he would have completely given up.

Yet when his foot brushed a piece of paper he was immediately surprised and looked down. A tip of some paper poked out of a crack in the floor and for a second he just dismissed it as a shred left behind. Though he couldn't help but be curious and kneeled down before starting to work it out of the crack. There was a crumpled, yellowed piece of paper with small, finely printed words upon it. Nine unfolded it slowly, "Is this…?" His optics widened and his mouth gaped open as he read the contents.

It was the same message that Nine had received except addressed to the Scientist. It stated the same despising of the Machine, the same insistence that something must be done, and the same neatly written signature. 'Child' was printed clearly at the bottom of the paper. This was it, this was his proof that Child existed, and yet it was still confusing. "So I didn't go back in time… But I did meet and speak to Child?... Maybe Six was right, maybe we were somehow communicating through souls or dreams, but then-."

His rambling cut off and he flinched, "That means he's still in…" Suddenly he knew where Child was, once again, and he was ready to go find him, no matter what. He unzipped his chest and shoved the paper inside to keep before heading out. He could only hope that maybe Child had somehow held on, but as his mind raced through the years he had been in there, through the war, he realized that it was far-fetched. He still had to keep hope, that was all he seemed to have anymore, and hurried along down the steps.

Soon he was sprinting through the Emptiness yet again, body weak and trying to refuse the movement, but forcing himself along. He remembered exactly where the Fabrication Machine was and hurried through the remains of the battlefield around him. His breathing was uneven as he prayed for time and to finally make it. So many times had he been close to saving someone only to fail. He had nearly lost all of the others, he had nearly lost his own life, and he had lost any title of Savior that he had been born with. When he arrived at the looming body of the Fabrication Machine he felt his pulse only quicken in fear.

This was it. This was the moment of truth. He hurried to the Machine's fallen and broken form and stared upwards into the dark, dead eye. The Talisman had broken open its lens for him and now he was able to see inside the darkness. He had to get closer than he wanted to and felt a mix of self-doubt and dread. _"I saw it with my own optics. I know what he did." _Nine thought to himself, "_Whether or not I want to admit it, he is a part of the Machine… But…" _He shook his head vigorously, _"I awoke the Machine and the others forgave me, I can't be like this, I can't blame him."_

As he reached up to the rim of the optic and pulled himself in he remembered his last moments of Child. _"I still love him…" _With that admission a heavy weight seemed to melt off of Nine's shoulders and he slowly dragged himself into the Machine after him, simply repeating mentally that he had to do this, and that he loved Child. Maybe it was a confused affair but he couldn't deny that it was there as he climbed inside. The interior was tight and cramped from the massive damage and smelled like burnt metal and oil.

There were cords everywhere, damaged and broken open, and he crossed the area part of the way before arriving at something in the darkness. He touched over the mass hanging there limp from the wires connected to the roof above. His hands brushed the metal and after a few seconds he realized it was a body, he just couldn't feel any fabric on it. "Creator…" He murmured with a soft choke. He was starting to reach his threshold, he couldn't possibly take much more of this as he started to tug the limp frame free, out of the Machine.

He tripped on the way out and sent them both sprawling in the dirt, but still stood again to cling to the other and drag him away. There was no doubt that it was Child, but he no longer had any fabric, it was all burned off. The mere smell of the charred fabric was making Nine feel surprisingly uncomfortable as he dragged Child as far as he could. Then the wires went taunt and he could go no further. He stood there briefly before grabbing a shrapnel of metal from nearby and going at the wires, sawing the apart and freeing the male from the Machine's grasp once and for all.

Now he was freed, but he wasn't moving. Nine kneeled beside him and lifted his limp head, staring at the black metal and the closed optics before him. For the first time Nine was actually holding Child and suddenly he realized how different it felt. It actually felt more real and he gently shook the Stitchpunk. "Child?" There was no response and Nine continued to shake him, a bit more frantically, but he still didn't move. Suddenly Nine found his hands giving away and the body fell to the ground limp before him as he scooted back away from it.

He didn't want to be anywhere near it anymore. He turned to the side and sat there for a few seconds and stared at the ground in front of him. It was almost as though Nine had been speaking with dead soul, because the body hadn't moved for much too long, the body was limp and destroyed. He didn't know what to do at first and instead just stared at the dirt. It hurt just as bad as when he lost the others, if not more because he had to go through it once again. He still forced himself to stand and started to walk in the opposite direction.

After a few steps he just stopped unmoving. Nine knew that he couldn't just leave like this and could only stand there in the dim light of the late afternoon. It was cloudy which suited the atmosphere and mood too well. The wind was blowing like a windstorm was coming and he could hear it behind him with rustling and such. He had to move from this spot and do something, like he had down when he had struck his head and awoke in the past, or when he had a delusional dream to himself. The zippered male looked back at the body one last time.

Except now it was standing.

Nine slowly turned to face the body that stood before him after trying and failing to smother his body jumping in shock. It still looked just as empty and yet it now stood there before him, optics closed, head limp. "Child?" Nine whispered cautiously before watching as the optics opened and revealed crimson. His head sluggishly raised and something moved behind him. At first Nine thought it was something coming up behind him, but after a few seconds he realized that they were arms, Machine-like arms, and they were sliding out of his back.

Nine shook his head; this wasn't real, he was just hallucinating, it couldn't be real. A low rattling noise, metallic and gurgling, started to resonate from Child's chest and looking into those red optics Nine suddenly felt the same fear that he had with the Fabrication Machine. He turned around and began to run desperately. Child was immediately behind him and was much faster with his new limbs. It was terrifying, Nine looked back and could see him closing in, and as he dashed through a bushel of barbed wire he got caught by the arm.

He was forced to rip it away as Child was closing in and having no problem with the barbed wire that had no fabric to catch onto. As he tore away he felt a small tear in his burlap and stumbled only a few feet further before abruptly being tackled. He hit the ground with a sharp cry and tried to climb out, dragging himself backwards along the ground until his back struck a block of wood protruding from the ground. He panted desperately as he stared at Child who began to drag himself towards him, optics locked on him as he continued along.

Then he was practically above him and Nine sputtered, "Child, wait-!" The other male interrupted him by reaching upwards. His optics were piercing, the arms behind him gripped the ground tightly, and his voice box crackled.

Yet his hands shook. As Nine noticed this he was immediately confused. Then, suddenly, the hands were on his cheeks, holding him still as the optics just stared at him in recognition. He was confused, almost as though he knew Nine but was struggling to see, and the zippered male felt immediate relief. He resembled the Machine, but this was Child, and he couldn't help but crack a smile. Reaching forward he cupped Child's face in return. The red eyed being flinched and nearly drew back, but stopped himself.

Another low crackle rustled through his voice box and Nine realized that he was trying to speak, but couldn't. He was obviously damaged, he was altered by the Machine, but he was alive and Nine lunged forward to take him into a warm embrace. Child dropped his head onto Nine's shoulder and just rested there limply as his machine-like arms slowly pulled into his back. They were strange but after everything Nine had faced this was the last thing that would stop him. He just watched them retract and wondered if it hurt.

"It's going to be okay." Child didn't agree, he pulled back slightly, resting his hands on Nine's shoulders now, and shook his head slowly. As if he was trying to be his pessimistic self when he couldn't even talk. "No, Child, it is." Nine insisted; there was no doubt Child remembered him at this point and he insisted as he laid one of his hands on one of Child's and the other on Child's own shoulder. "You and I… I don't know really, but we might have been both unconscious? Whatever it was, we met when we logically shouldn't have. We met for a reason."

He paused before daring to add in a quieter tone, "You know what I did to the others, what I let happen, and I know what happened with you and the Machine, but we can't… We can't let our past mistakes get the best of us anymore. I spent too long lamenting what I did and too long wasting my life to regret, I'm not going to let the same thing happen to you." He switched his position again for an embrace. This time Child returned it too. However Child was slightly taller at this angle as Nine had fallen onto his backside and Child was drawn onto his knees. It still felt just as safe.

Nine felt safe in Child's grasp and he wouldn't trade that feeling for anything. "I love you." Nine admitted. Maybe it was a little quick to say it, maybe he wasn't even sure what the degree of love was, but all he did know was that he wanted to say it and from every fiber in his body he knew that he felt it. Child's answer was a sudden joining of their mouths. It felt strange, there was dark metal instead of fabric, but it still felt good and Nine responded pleasantly.

Their mouths stayed conjoined in the tender kiss for perhaps a minute before they separated, slightly winded, and Child moved in once again to claim Nine's soft lips. Again they were together as one, kissing gently, and even when they finally pulled apart they felt the need to be together. It was desperation; Child needed Nine to cope with this, Nine need Child to reassure him that he wasn't going to vanish. The wind was picking up and Nine flinched as he realized it was going to elevate into a windstorm.

"The weather's turning. Come on, we'll go home." Child seemed questioning, but stood and helped Nine up, reverting back to his normal movements and seemingly pulling more from the Machine's now that he was alert and fully awake. Nine glanced around before taking Child's hand and beginning to lead him back towards the Sanctuary. He occasionally looked to Child to see his response, but Child's optics remained on the ground. He didn't look nervous, he didn't look upset, but he was unable to look at the world that he had a part in creating.

Nine decided that it was best not to press him as they crossed the warzone. The windstorm picked up for a while, but stopped by time they had arrived at the buildings. He led Child through the streets that he now recognized and back to the Library. Once out in the courtyard he felt the need to warn, "The others are inside. All of them, they're all alive, and they might be surprised at first." Child squeezed his hand and gave a slight exhale of weariness, though it sounded less like a sigh with the undertow of crackling accompanying it along. The zippered male smiled, "Hey, it'll be fine."

Technically it had been fine, somewhat. Everyone had a reaction and everyone went through a period of insisting that Child was a Beast or Machine. It didn't help that halfway through the conversation Child got offended by a comment One had made and his optics began crackling again. Nine stretched the truth and said that he couldn't control it, which was partially true since Child had proved that he couldn't successful control his emotions; a joke Nine made mentally. Even Five was a little hesitant, but at least he just was clearly nervous and didn't outright say anything about Child being a Beast.

The one who took it best was definitely Two who hobbled over on his temporary crutches and immediately began to examine Child. Part of Nine wished Child's voice box was fixed so that he could hear what he was thinking, part of him was glad that he couldn't. Two was insistent on replacing Child's fabric and fixing his voice box as soon as possible, even with the other's doubts, but Two won them over apparently enough. Or perhaps they felt guilty watching him hobble about as he was. Nine stayed with Child as the others went to gather supplies that Two had chosen.

Child was insistent with his hands, clinging to Nine's own, that he wasn't comfortable being left alone. By late evening the supplies had managed to be found. Nine had been laying in front of a tired Child who had his arms wrapped around his waist, one caressing his hip in soft circles, when Two said that he and Five were ready to work on Child. Nine waited until Child was under the magnet and under sedation before leaving his side to wait with the others. They all took turns staring at him with either concerned or confused looks except for Six who did some sort of odd cheering motion towards him.

Nine accepted this with a smile; at least someone was happy for them. He paced, he waited, and eventually Five appeared with an oil stained rag wiping his hands. Nine feared the worst seeing it, but Five announced, "He's alright. The surgery's over and he's waking up." The zippered male felt his pulse quicken slightly, "It went fine? Nothing went wrong?" The Healer nodded before glancing down at the rag, realizing it made Nine uncomfortable, "Excess oil got on us during it. It wasn't anything serious.

Nine was more than relieved and started into the back, patting Five's shoulder, "Thank you, Five." The Healer smiled a little, "Don't mention it." The zippered male headed into the back where the surgery had been performed on the same book that Child and he had been laying on together. Child's fabric was remarkably done and he looked very similar to how he was before. Two must have taken incredible notes from the description and was now sitting on a spool stool beside the bed, not wanting to leave Child alone.

When he noticed Nine he smiled warmly and stood. He headed out, giving them some privacy. Two's knack of noticing details must have noticed ones that the others had yet to, such as their obvious affection for each other. Nine sat down on the edge of the book and looked down at Child who was beginning to wake. "Hey." Nine smiled down at him, "How are you feeling?" The pale male fidgeted a bit, "God…" He murmured, but didn't finish the statement, and Nine smiled in amusement, "That good, huh?" He chuckled a bit as Child focused his optics on him tiredly.

"You look great. Your fabric is all back and apparently your voice is working. He stopped the red eyes too." Though Child's optics spited him by suddenly flickering red. Child contented smirk-like smile at Nine's sudden look of blankness suggested that he did it on purpose, which meant he had some degree of control. "Did he take out the extra limbs?" Nine asked and Child shrugged a bit before shaking his head, obviously feeling them. As Nine checked his back he could see four new openings closed by hooks and loops, which meant that Two noticed the arms and deemed them usable.

Nine quietly looked over the male before him and felt a flutter in his chest. This was the Child he remembered and the Child who he loved, better than any comatose vision, and he laid down beside him and put an arm around him. The world had changed; now it was Child who was in his foreign world, but he was going to show Child the same care and the same protection that he had received. He was going to show him the good parts of their home even if he had to work at finding them and he was going to hold him every night.

He swore to this and as Child leaned forward to claim Nine's lips yet again Nine knew that he wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.

_**FIN**_

* * *

><p><strong>Mable: So there it is! What a wild journey along the way. ^-^ I feel so inspired; my next plans are to write something for Halloween. After, of course, I get 'Fabric Runs Shallow' under control. Anyway, anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed!<br>Alright, for any unanswered questions: When Nine hit his head and fell unconscious he and Child, who was already in a comatose state in the Machine, somehow managed to communicate telepathically. Almost as though they were both in a dream world created by their own souls. Child was asleep longer and his delusion was of his own time and world, which is why when Nine came to in this state it appeared that he was back in time. Nine's dream about Five during his time with Child was actually him briefly awakening from his stupor.  
>The other Stitchpunks came back through the life giving rain on their own. <strong>


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